ESPN employees asked not to write about Dana White slap incident
ESPN recently came under criticism for not addressing the recent 'slap' incident involving Dana White and his wife. While White and his wife were caught on video slapping each other, people accused ESPN of not covering the news due to their partnership with the UFC.
ESPN writer/editor Jeff Wagenheim has now made a stunning revelation about the company's take on the scenario. According to Wagenheim, employees were told not to "write anything incendiary" regarding the incident on social media.
ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, when finally addressing the incident on "First Take," seemed to have a rather soft take on it. Wagenheim emphasized that some employees at ESPN did not share similar opinions on domestic violence. Wagenheim wrote:
"We've been told to not write anything incendiary on social media about the Dana White situation, and I understand why and have abided by that. I just ask y'all to understand that some of us at ESPN do not have as soft a take as this on domestic violence."
We've been told to not write anything incendiary on social media about the Dana White situation, and I understand why and have abided by that. I just ask y'all to understand that some of us at ESPN do not have as soft a take as this on domestic violence. twitter.com/awfulannouncin…
Wagenheim issued a subsequent clarification, claiming that there was no edict from the ESPN higher-ups specifically about the White situation. Employees are seemingly discouraged from posting anything provocative on social media in general, especially with White being a business partner.
Clarification: There was no edict from ESPN bosses regarding the White situation, but in general we are strongly discouraged from incendiary posts on social media, and with a business partner things are sensitive. My bad on the wording. (The thought that follows still stands.) twitter.com/jeffwagenheim/…
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ESPN's Stephen A. Smith's comments on Dana White
Dana White made headlines after a video of him slapping his wife on New Year's Eve went viral on social media. White issued an immediate apology and requested privacy so that he could address his children regarding the issue.
White's wife Anne also claimed that it was 'out of character' for the UFC president to say the least. When ESPN finally addressed the issue on "First Take," Stephen A. Smith revealed that he had intimated White before talking about it. The sports commentator proclaimed that White knows that he's crossed a line. Smith said:
“I think it’s important, if you’re gonna sit on this platform, you owe it to your audience to be honest. Dana White is not just somebody I know in sports…he’s a friend, I love him…he knows how wrong he was to do this and he knows we’re on-air, he knew ahead of time because I reached out to him to let him know I would be talking about this this morning. He knows he crossed a line that he has never crossed before.”
However, Smith also stated that the UFC head honcho should receive the same punishment that he would have meted out to others under similar circumstances.
Watch Smith's comments on Dana White below:
Stephen A. Smith talks Dana White https://t.co/OLb2Wtz3j1