A top executive at ESPN was reportedly fired this week after claims of harassment on social media.
The sports media giant is likely headed toward having to make some difficult decisions in the weeks ahead. In February, ESPN’s parent company, Disney, announced that the company was planning to cut over $5 billion in costs, and would be shedding as many as 7,000 jobs in the near future.
ESPN is expected to be hit with a percentage of those cuts as Disney goes through a major corporate restructuring. However, on Tuesday the company dismissed a major player from the company and it reportedly had zero to do with impending budget cuts.
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Yesterday, the New York Post broke the news that ESPN “fired executive vice president Rob King after he was accused of harassment … The harassment allegations were due to social media posts, which were brought to the attention of ESPN’s Human Resources.”
It is unclear at this time what the particular online harassment was that cost King his job.
The firing is a major shift after King had been with the company for nearly 20 years and only answered to ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro. King previously oversaw ESPN.com and later “Sportscenter” in 2017.
Following the report, King released a statement on Twitter trying to switch the narrative of the news from it being a decision solely made by the network.
“After nearly 20 years with ESPN, I have decided the time is right for me to leave the company. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and friends, and wish the company continued success.”
It is unclear how much cutting King from their payroll will save the company, but it is unlikely to stop a larger amount of job cuts in the near future. The network cut close to 300 employees on two occasions over the last six years, and even superstar analyst Stephen A. Smith recently admitted he may not be immune from being a casualty of planned budget cuts.