Back In December 2017, ESPN President John Skipper shocked the world of sports media when he abruptly resigned from his post after 27 years with the company citing years of substance addiction.
Skiper wrote a public statement at the time which read, in part, “I have struggled for many years with a substance addiction.
I have decided that the most important thing I can do right now is to take care of my problem. I have disclosed that decision to the company, and we mutually agreed that it was appropriate that I resign. I will always appreciate the human understanding and warmth that Bob displayed here and always. I come to this public disclosure with embarrassment, trepidation and a feeling of having let others I care about down.”Now, in a wild new interview with James Andrew Miller forThe Hollywood Reporter, Skipper, became president of ESPN in January of 2012, revealed that the reason he resigned was because of a cocaine extortion plot.
In the interview, Skipper states that he “never had an issue with alcohol,” has never used heroin or opioids, and that his cocaine use never interfered with his work.
At ESPN I did not use at work, nor with anyone at work, or with anyone I did business with. I never allowed it to interfere with my work, other than a missed plane and a few canceled morning appointments. I’ve never been a daily user. My use over the past two decades has, in fact, been quite infrequent. I judge that I did a very good job and that it did not get in the way of my work. I worked hard, I worked smart. I worked all the time.
Skipper also stated that he had no intention of resigning until the Friday before his Monday, December 18th announcement when he had a conversation with Disney CEO Bob Iger. About that day, Skipper revealed, “I want to stress that until that Friday conversation occurred, I worked with complete conviction with colleagues I loved and for a company I loved.”
