Bill Simmons, who has become one of the most well-known and influential sports writers since joining ESPN, is leaving the network. His contract expires this fall and the two sides were never able to work on a new deal.
“I decided today that we are not going to renew Bill Simmons’ contract,” ESPN president John Skipper said in a statement. “We have been in negotiations and it was clear it was time to move on. ESPN’s relationship with Bill has been mutually beneficial - he has produced great content for us for many years and ESPN has provided him many new opportunities to spread his wings.”
Skipper wished Simmons the best in his future endeavours. He added that ESPN will continue to support Grantland.
In an interview with The New York Times, Skipper sounded confident that Grantland could continue to survive without Simmons. “It long ago went from being a Bill Simmons site to one that can stand on its own,” Skipper said.
Simmons also hosts a weekly podcast called The B.S. Report and helped ESPN launch the award-winning 30 For 30 documentary series. He also covered a wide range of subjects on Grantland, which also includes blog posts about movies and television.
However, he often clashed with ESPN brass, especially last fall when he was suspended for calling NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a liar. He is so well known that the hashtag #FreeSimmons started trending on Twitter.
However, Skipper told the Times that the incident didn’t have anything to do with the decision to let go.
Now, speculation about Simmons’ future will begin.
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