Sports leader ESPN is still dealing with tremendous internal strife after reporter Rachel Nichols, who is White, strongly insinuated in 2020 that fellow reporter Maria Taylor, who is Black, was only promoted over her because of the push for more diversity.
In a lengthy New York Times exposé, Nichols, who is the host of ESPN’s daily show “The Jump,” did not know that she failed to properly turn off her recording equipment during an explosive conversation with LeBron James’ publicist, Adam Mendelsohn, and James’ agent, Rich Paul.
Nichols bitterly complained because she thought she would host the NBA playoffs in “the bubble” in Orlando, Florida, last summer and was miffed that ESPN decided to go with Taylor instead. Due to Nichol’s neglect to shut off her mic, the conversation was recorded on an ESPN server and then disseminated throughout the workplace by an employee.
Here is a snippet of what Nichols said about Taylor:
Rachel Nichols: “If you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity — which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it — like, go for it. Just find it somewhere else.” pic.twitter.com/aB5MifujuX
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 4, 2021
The Times stated that Kayla Johnson was the only employee to record the conversation with her cellphone and pass it along to Taylor and many others in the company. And she is the only person punished for the debacle. She was suspended without pay for two weeks and then given lesser duties until she finally quit. Nichols, on the other hand, said ESPN told her “the content of the conversation didn’t warrant any discipline.” The lack of action against Nichols is a “source of pain” for Black ESPN employees.
“Multiple Black ESPN employees said they told one another after hearing the conversation that it confirmed their suspicions that outwardly supportive white people talk differently behind closed doors.”
Whew. https://t.co/dwVlNSDqUq
— Carrington Harrison (@cdotharrison) July 4, 2021
Nichols said she has tried to reach out to Taylor to explain the situation further but Taylor has rebuffed her efforts and, since last year, made it clear to ESPN bosses she does not want to work with Nichols on-air.
“My own intentions in that conversation, and the opinion of those in charge at ESPN, are not the sum of what matters here — if Maria felt the conversation was upsetting, then it was, and I was the cause of that for her,” Nichols said.
“Maria has chosen not to respond to these offers” to talk it out, “which is completely fair and a decision I respect,” Nichols added.
Taylor said the only people punished by ESPN’s actions were women of color: Johnson herself and the three Black sideline reporters — Lisa Salters, Cassidy Hubbarth and Malika Andrews — who saw their assignments reduced so that Nichols could dominate the lead sideline reporter duties.
This writer recalls seeing Salters, in particular, interviewing players throughout the 2020 NBA playoffs. It also has been noted that Salters has been conspicuously absent during the 2021 postseason.
Flip the page to view the harsh Twitter reactions to Nichol’s charge that Taylor was hoisted above her due to “diversity” instead of talent.
