John Skipper had been the president of ESPN for nearly six years before his tenure abruptly came to an end on Monday, and many of the media juggernaut’s employees did not see his resignation coming.
Multiple ESPN staffers told TMZ Sports that they were stunned by Skipper’s decision to step down and his revelation that he is struggling with substance abuse. Numerous employees of the World Wide Leader said Skipper was well-liked and respected.
“People are just stunned … a lot of us truly respected him,” one ESPN employee told TMZ. “You will be hard pressed to find anyone with a negative word about him.”
“I’m shocked,” another staffer said. “I liked the guy a lot.”
Skipper joined ESPN as senior vice president and general manager of ESPN The Magazine back in 1997, and he had worked his way up the ranks since. The company has generally experienced great success under his leadership, though some potentially serious issues arose last week when two of ESPN’s most recognizable employees were accused of sexual harassment.
