#FreeBillSimmons: ESPN suspension explodes on Twitter

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#FreeBillSimmons: ESPN suspension explodes on Twitter

Proving that Twitter users love a good controversy, basketball and a hashtag, ESPN's decision to suspend Bill Simmons for calling out NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell exploded on the social media platform Wednesday night, with Simmons' supporters imploring the network to free him.

The #FreeBillSimmons and #FreeSimmons hashtags began trending shortly after ESPN announced its three-week suspension of the sportswriter and NBA analyst, who had unloaded on Goodell during a three-minute, expletive-laced rant on his "B.S. Report" podcast.


"Goodell, if he didn’t know what was on that tape, he’s a liar," Simmons said. "I’m just saying it. He is lying. If you put him up on a lie detector test, that guy would fail. For all these people to pretend they didn’t know is such [expletive]ing [expletive]. It really is, it’s such [expletive]ing [expletive]. For him to go into that press conference and pretend otherwise ... I was so insulted."


Simmons, who has been disciplined by ESPN in the past, dared the network to do so again. "I really hope somebody calls me or emails me and says I’m in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell, because if one person says that to me, I’m going public," he said. "You leave me alone. The commissioner’s a liar, and I get to talk about that on my podcast ... Please. Call me and say I'm in trouble. I dare you.”

ESPN took the dare. "Every employee must be accountable to ESPN, and those engaged in our editorial operations must also operate within ESPN’s journalistic standards," the network said in a statement. "We have worked hard to ensure that our recent NFL coverage has met that criteria. Bill Simmons did not meet those obligations in a recent podcast, and as a result we have suspended him for three weeks."


As Yahoo's Jay Busbee noted, Simmons' suspension is longer than the initial suspensions of Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson combined and three times as long as that of ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, who made controversial comments about women's role in domestic abuse events.

ESPN and the NFL have a $15.2 billion deal that gives the sports network rights to air games during its "Monday Night Football" program through 2021.

The decision to bench Simmons did not sit well with many Twitter users.