The perception in and around is that management has tried to distance itself from the divisive, political rhetoric that defined the network over the past decade. Executive vice president Burke Magnus has led the effort.
Magnus has elevated personalities who provide a more positive, fan-focused perspective on sports, from and Peter Schrager to Josh Pate and Jason McCourty.
The network parted ways with several commentators and declined to renew the contracts of others who frequently generated headlines for comments critics considered toxic or political, including Ryan Clark, Mark Jones, Clinton Yates, Sarah Spain and Max Kellerman.
Magnus’s actions sent a message to current and future employees. Self-serving commentary and social media activity that undermine the company’s reputation are no longer tolerated.
Viewers have noticed. Nearly every one of ESPNs daily studio shows has gained viewership year over year. For that, Magnus deserves credit.
And yet, his latest decision undermines his own edict, suggesting to employees that the very behavior he has spent the past two years eliminating is again welcome.
On Thursday, ESPN announced that it had rehired Stan Verrett to host a daily show on its sister network, NFL Network. Sources tell OutKick that Magnus and executive Mike McQuade chose Verrett for the role.
The move is notable because ESPN did not renew Verretts contract last year. Verrett claimed the departure was his decision. Sources have told OutKick otherwise. Either way, ESPN is bringing him back despite knowing how he conducted himself during his previous tenure.
Perhaps no recent ESPN employee behaved less professionally on social media than Verrett. We would know.Â
For years, Verrett tweeted obsessively about us, predicted our demise, denounced us as racist, and directly messaged me “f— you” after following me.
Some of those posts are below:
Below is a friendly back-and-forth between SportsCenter anchor Nicole Briscoe and me about President Trump. Verrett inserted himself into the mentions by spreading unprompted racial hysteria.
“I can help here, Nicole. [Burack] works for a site [OutKick] that uses some of the same kind of racially-tinged rhetoric to attract a specific audience to try to get them to gamble. Plausible deniability is the escape hatch for all the foolishness.”
Huh?
It wasn’t just us.
Verrett spent much of his final years at ESPN picking social media fights with people who voiced even mildly conservative opinions. In many cases, he dismissed arguments he disliked as â wait for it â racist.
Verrett told former college football player T.J. Moe that white people like him have “every advantage available in this society” because Moe rejected the idea that white moviegoers care about the skin color of performers.
“No, Black people support other Black people because if we didnt, history tells us they might not get any support at all. We know youre not going to do it, based on your whining. Quit tying so hard to be a victim. You have every advantage available in this society.”
Verretts sports commentary isnt much different.
ESPN is privately dissatisfied with its WNBA coverage, particularly the negative tone and racial emphasis some of its commentators have attached to the league. Verrett is unlikely to help address those concerns.
He recently got into a spat with an anonymous account with roughly 150 followers, arguing that biases help explain Caitlin Clarks popularity among<a href="https://x.com/st
