ESPN Suspends Anchor Jemele Hill For Breaking Social Media Rules
BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — ESPN anchor Jemele Hill has been suspended by the network for two weeks for making political statements on social media.
Hill, received backlash last month after referring to President Donald Trump as a "white supremacist" after he suggested players be fired for kneeling during the national anthem.
Hill's more recent tweets targeted Jerry Jones after the Dallas Cowboys owner stated that players who disrespect the flag would not play for his team.
Hill tweeted Sunday that fans who disagree with Jones should boycott the team's advertisers and not buy the team's merchandise.
"Cowboys have a huge national following," she wrote in one of a series of tweets. "Lot of black & brown folks are Cowboys fans. What if they turned their backs on them?"
She clarified Monday she was not calling for an NFL boycott.
ESPN said in a statement Monday that Hill had acknowledged "letting her colleagues and company down" with the Trump tweet.
"In the aftermath, all employees were reminded of how individual tweets may reflect negatively on ESPN and that such actions would have consequences. Hence this decision," the statement said.
Hill did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her suspension.
Before she was suspended, Hill responded Sunday to a Twitter follower who suggested that NFL players would learn a lesson about "getting fired for not doing what your boss requires you to do."
"Because if we did everything the boss said, Americans would still be dying of tuberculosis in factories," she replied.
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