ESPN removes Rachel Nichols from NBA Finals coverage after comments leak

ESPN removes Rachel Nichols from NBA Finals coverage after comments leak
ESPN has banned reporter Rachel Nichols from covering the NBA Finals from the sidelines after a recording surfaced of her making derogatory comments about her colleague, Maria Taylor.

In the leaked audio, Nichols, who is white, reportedly criticized ESPN last year for picking Taylor, who is black, to do a sideline report in the NBA Finals on her.

“If you need to give her more stuff to do because you feel pressure about your long-standing diversity record – which, by the way, I know personally – like, come on- y, find it somewhere else, “the recording said, according to the New York Times.

Nichols apologized on Monday’s edition of “The Jump,” a show she co-hosts on ESPN. “I also don’t want to let this moment go by without saying how deeply sorry I am for disappointing those I have hurt, especially Maria Taylor,” she said.

Instead of Nichols, journalist Malika Andrews will be doing secondary reporting. The network said Nichols will always host “The Jump” in the NBA Finals. Taylor, a seven-year ESPN veteran, is still expected to host the “NBA Countdown” for the finals. The series between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns kicks off Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

In a statement, ESPN told CBS News its decision would keep the focus on basketball.

The reaction to the controversy has been swift – targeting not only Nichols but ESPN as well.

“You don’t see a lot of black women in the role of Maria, she hears that 100 times a day. And so to hear that from a colleague, from another woman, I can imagine that would be very harmful and hurtful. for her, “Jemele Hill, a former ESPN host, recently told” CBS This Morning. ”

Meanwhile, Mariah Rose, the daughter of ESPN host and former NBA star Jalen Rose, had this to say: “Maybe instead of crying and calling Maria a sign of diversity, you could direct that energy to people who think there can only be one woman on this stage.”

Report: ESPN removing Rachel Nichols from NBA Finals coverage after leaked audio
ESPN host Rachel Nichols is in hot water this week after audio surfaced of her making disparaging remarks about fellow ESPN personality/reporter Maria Taylor.

Nichols issued an on-air apology recently, but it seems ESPN is also making a move with its NBA Finals coverage.

ESPN removes Rachel Nichols from NBA Finals role following leaked recording
The NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns begins Tuesday. The last time the Suns went to the Finals, Charles Barkley was still on the team, while it’s been more than 40 years since the Bucks have made it this far in the playoffs.

There is certainly no shortage of story lines. But all anyone seems to want to talk about is the fallout at ESPN over a leaked audio recording involving two of their top NBA talents — Rachel Nichols and Maria Taylor.

“This Rachel Nichols scandal is a perfect storm for ESPN, which has always had a fumblefingered approach to racial diversity, gender parity and its corrosive star system,” NPR media critic Eric Deggans wrote on Twitter Monday.

ESPN announced Tuesday that Nichols would no longer be the sideline reporter during ABC’s coverage of the NBA Finals, replacing her with Malika Andrews. (ESPN and ABC both are owned by The Walt Disney Company.) Nichols will continue to host The Jump, while Taylor will continue in her role as host of NBA Countdown.

“We believe this is best decision for all concerned in order to keep the focus on the NBA Finals. Rachel will continue to host The Jump,” an ESPN spokesperson told the Inquirer.

The move comes after the New York Times published leaked recordings of Nichols complaining last year about being replaced by Taylor on the network’s most prominent NBA studio show while in the bubble at Walt Disney World. Taylor is Black, and Nichols, who is white, suggested she has been replaced because ESPN was “feeling pressure” on diversity, according to Times reporter Kevin Draper.

Nichols apologized for her comments on The Jump Monday.

“So the first thing they teach you in journalism school is don’t be the story. And I don’t plan to break that rule today or distract from a fantastic Finals,” Nichols said. “But I also don’t want to let this moment pass without saying how much I respect, how much I value our colleagues here at ESPN. How deeply, deeply sorry I am for disappointing those I hurt, particularly Maria Taylor, and how grateful I am to be part of this outstanding team.”

Nichols wasn’t aware her conversation last year with Adam Mendelsohn, a public relations adviser to LeBron James, was being recorded and uploaded to ESPN’s server and later leaked by a former digital video editor. During the more-than-20-minute phone call, Nichols complained about being replaced by Taylor on NBA Countdown, the network’s NBA pregame show, despite saying it was in her contract.

“I wish Maria Taylor all the success in the world — she covers football, she covers basketball,” Nichols said in July 2020. “If you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity — which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it — like, go for it. Just find it somewhere else. You are not going to find it from me or taking my thing away.”

According to the New York Times, multiple Black ESPN employees said the conversation confirmed suspicions about white colleagues who speak differently in person they do in private. Nichols appeared alongside two Black colleagues on Monday’s The Jump — former NBA players Kendrick Perkins and Richard Jefferson — who attempted to navigate the awkward situation as best they could.

“I fully support Maria Taylor. … I’ve known Rachel for 20 years,” Jefferson said. “Rachel and our entire group here have had very difficult conversations. … No one is excused. She is not excused. I am not excused.”

Taylor has yet to speak publicly about Nichols’ comments since the recordings were published, but she was scheduled to host NBA Countdown on ABC Tuesday night ahead of the Bucks-Suns alongside Jalen Rose, Adrian Wojnarowski, and Jay Williams. Making matters more tense is Taylor’s contract is scheduled to end later this month (and could end in the middle of the NBA Finals if the series goes long).

A video Taylor shared on TikTok in August 2020 resurfaced on social media, where she pointed out that society sometimes tells Black women “you don’t deserve that promotion, even though you know you do.”

“They may tell you that when you get the promotion, that you only got it because you were Black,” Taylor said in the short video. “But we know that’s not true.”

Beadle was removed from the Mike Greenberg vehicle in 2018 and returned to her spot hosting NBA Countdown for the remainder of the 2019 NBA season. But in August of that year, she was removed from the show and replaced by both Nichols and Taylor. Soon thereafter, she was out at ESPN, which bought out the remainder of her contract.

On Monday, Beadle hopped on Twitter and offered her response to the news unfolding at her former workplace.

Other than a few Twitter barbs, Beadle has remained quiet since leaving ESPN and hasn’t announced any new gigs.

I’m not that Rachel Nichols
It’s only been a few days, and there’s already collateral damage from the leaked audio recordings.

Actress Rachel Nichols (Alias, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) said she woke up on Monday and her Twitter account was inundated with messages from angry users thinking she was ESPN’s Rachel Nichols. It doesn’t help that both are verified accounts, and the only difference between the two is the number “1″ in her username.

Nichols eventually changed her display name to “NOT ESPN REPORTER!” in all caps.

This isn’t the first time actress Rachel Nichols has been confused for ESPN’s Rachel Nichols. In 2018, Twitter’s algorithm suggested the CBS drama Criminal Minds — which Nichols appeared on — to people who followed her ESPN counterpart. What’s even odder is Nichols was dropped from the show in 2011.

ESPN benched reporter Rachel Nichols from covering the NBA Finals from the sidelines after a recording surfaced of her making disparaging comments about her colleague, Maria Taylor. In leaked audio, Nichols, who is White, reportedly criticized ESPN last year for choosing Taylor, who is Black, to report on the sidelines...

Rachel Nichols Taken Off NBA Finals Coverage Amidst Controversial Comments
ESPN has reportedly taken Rachel Nichols off its NBA Finals coverage amid controversial leaked comments made by the veteran on-air host and reporter.

Sports business reporter Joe Pomplianoof Huddle Up reports Malika Andrews will replace Nichols as a sideline reporter during ESPN's upcoming NBA Finals coverage this week.

The decision comes after the New York Times published a report on Sunday (July 4) that included a leaked phone conversation from mid-July 2020 in which Nichols, who was eyeing hosting duties during the NBA playoffs and finals at the time, complained to public relations adviser Adam Mendelsohn-- who represents LeBron James and James' agent Rich Paul-- about her ongoing situation at ESPN.

During the conversation, Nichols implies that she is being overlooked for the hosting gig for Maria Taylor, who is Black, due to the company "feeling pressure" about racial diversity.

“I wish Maria Taylor all the success in the world — she covers football, she covers basketball,” Nichols said during the conversation. “If you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity — which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it — like, go for it. Just find it somewhere else. You are not going to find it from me or taking my thing away.”
Nichols apologized for the incident during the latest episode of The Jump, which she's continued to host since the incident occurred last summer prior to it becoming public on Sunday.

“The first thing they teach you in journalism school is don’t be the story, and I don’t plan to break that rule today or distract from a fantastic Finals,” Nichols said. “But I also don’t want to let this moment pass without saying how much I respect, how much I value our colleagues here at ESPN, how deeply, deeply sorry I am for disappointing those I hurt, particularly Maria Taylor, and how grateful I am to be part of this outstanding team.”

Co-hosts and former NBA players Richard Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins, both of whom are Black, showed their support of Nichols during the broadcast, but the New York Times reports numerous other colleagues were critical of Nichols behind closed doors, including NBA lead reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, who is White, reportedly referring to Nichols as a bad teamma