Controversial reporter Jemele Hill, who once called President Donald Trump a “white supremacist” on Twitter, has “parted ways” with ESPN, according to a report in the New York Post.
The deal to end Hill’s longtime relationship with the sports network isn’t being called a “termination,” but sources tell the Post that the “amicable separation” was motivated by ESPN’s desire to reform into a non-political network.
Hill reportedly wanted to continue to advocate for social justice; ESPN higher-ups are working to minimize the network’s political commentary and return the network’s focus to sports and sports news.
Hill made headlines last year when, on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, she lashed out at Trump on Twitter, accusing the president of being a “white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself [with] other white supremacists.”
ESPN declined to punish Hill, but ended up suspending her just a few weeks later after she called on viewers and advertisers to boycott ESPN’s coverage of the Dallas Cowboys and the team’s owner, Jerry Jones, who objected to NFL players kneeling in protest during the national anthem. She was then relegated to a role as an opinion columnist for ESPN’s “Undefeated” website.
ESPN reportedly bought out Hill’s network contract for $2.5 million. Her final day on the network is expected to be next Friday.