When Jemele Hill called Donald Trump a white supremacist on Twitter last month, she narrowly avoided being taken off the air when her fellow ESPN anchors had her back. But it appears that now, they won’t be able to help. ESPN announced today (Oct. 9) that she was suspended for two weeks due to “a second violation of our social media guidelines.”
“Jemele Hill has been suspended for two weeks for a second violation of our social media guidelines,” reads a statement released by ESPN. “She previously acknowledged letting her colleagues and company down with an impulsive 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 suspension seems to come from tweets that Hill sent on Sunday night. Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones reportedly said that any players on the team who protested during the national anthem – a stance popularized by Colin Kaepernick over the last season – would be disallowed from playing.
While some people have encouraged the Cowboys to kneel during the anthem anyway, Hill said that people who are passionate about the issue should take things into their own hands by refusing to patronize the advertisers who support the team.
“No, I think the Cowboy fans — the paying customers — need to pick up this fight. Don’t look to Dez or Dak. YOU do it,” Hill tweeted. “Change happens when advertisers are impacted. If you feel strongly about JJ’s statement, boycott his advertisers.”
On Monday morning, Hill attempted to clarify that she wasn’t calling for an NFL boycott, but was telling fans to make their own impact instead of labeling the NFL players as sellouts. Still, ESPN announced her suspension hours later. It’s unclear why ESPN compares her new tweets – which doesn’t mention any politicians or take any clear political stance – to the tweets from September.
There is no word yet on if co-host Michael Smith, who refused to host Sportscenter without her after the Trump controversy, will host in her absence.