Bill Simmons Sounds Off on ESPN Exit: 'It Was F–ing High School'

staff@people.com (Tiare Dunlap)
Updated
'My Apologies for Being a Jackass': Bill Simmons Says He's Sorry for Slamming Former ESPN Colleagues

Bill Simmons is opening up about his very public break-up with his employer of 14 years, ESPN.

"It was f----- sh---," Simmons said of learning that his contract would not be renewed on Twitter in a cover interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "By the way they handled it, you would think I played grab-ass with some makeup assistant or something."

The Grantland founder was dropped by the sports network in May 2015 after more than 14 years with the company. ESPN's decision not to renew Simmons' contract came just one day after he called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a liar and claimed he lacked "testicular fortitude" on a syndicated radio show.

ESPN president John Skipper announced that Simmons had been fired in an interview with the New York Times before breaking the news to Simmons.



Simmons said that to this day he's not convinced Skipper, who has a financial stake in maintaining a good relationship with Goodell as ESPN pays nearly $2 billion annually for Monday Night Football, ever listened to the radio interview himself. He believes his comments reached Skipper through other employees at the company who were quick to condemn him. "It was f---ing high school," Simmons said.

The veteran journalist also took some responsibility for his falling out with ESPN. "I'm not blameless," he said. "I acted like a brat a couple times, and there are things I could have handled better."


However he certainly wasn't ready to lavish praise on his former employer or the direction in which the network is headed. "They've gotten rid of everybody who is a little off the beaten path," he said. "Ask yourself this: 'Who would work there that you respect right now?' "

Now, Simmons is focused on his new site, The Ringer, and his HBO sho,w Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons, which will premiere on June 22.

He's spent a great deal of time agonizing over the guests he'll be able to secure for his HBO series. He said his dream guest is Michelle Obama in part because he would love to discuss her work to get girls involved in sports – a subject he's gained a new appreciation for since his 11-year-old daughter began playing soccer.

"One of the ironies of my life is that I was definitely a chauvinist with men's and women's sports before. I'd always make WNBA jokes and stuff like that. And now I'm like a feminist, and it's all because of her," he said.