Former ESPN colleagues at odds over longtime show’s cancellation after claim it went ‘woke’

3 weeks ago 18

Earlier this week, ESPN announced its "Around The Horn," volition spell disconnected the aerial successful May aft implicit 2 decades.

Jay Mariotti, who was a regular connected the amusement until his home unit apprehension successful 2010, said successful a caller interrogation that the amusement is being canceled due to the fact that it went "woke."

"I deliberation what John Skipper wanted from immoderate of the shows was helium started to instal radical connected the shows who became anti-Trump," Mariotti told Front Office Sports.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The ESPN logo connected an physics show successful Times Square successful New York City Aug. 23, 2017. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

Mariotti past mentioned Jemele Hill and Michael Smith by name, adding the show "lost immoderate audience."

In a caller station connected his ain Substack, headlined "Around the Horn ended a agelong clip agone - erstwhile I near the show," Mariotti reiterated that immoderate of the panelists went "woke" portion others were "on dope."

Hill caught upwind of the comments and took exception.

"I don’t truly admit Jay bringing my sanction into this oregon my person Michael Smith. For one, I don’t adjacent cognize Jay similar that. And secondly, I started doing ATH successful 2007 oregon 2008. Donald Trump evidently wasn’t successful bureau then, truthful to suggest that ESPN started putting anti-Trump folks connected the amusement connected intent is conscionable a dumb statement," Hill said successful an X post.

Jemele Hill poses for a photograph connected the reddish carpet astatine the ESPN the Party lawsuit successful the Houston arts territory successful Houston Feb. 3, 2017. (Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)

"The quality of ATH is that it was a mechanics to get a assortment of voices connected air. It has launched and furthered truthful galore careers, including mine. Having a tally of implicit 20 years successful sports tv is simply a testament to what an instauration this amusement became."

Hill and Smith aboriginal co-hosted their ain SportsCenter. Hill near ESPN up of the crook of the decennary and joined The Atlantic.