Report: Adrian Wojnarowski Suspended 2 Weeks by ESPN After Senator Hawley Email
July 13, 2020
There is reportedly a timeline on the suspension for ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, the high-profile NBA news-breaker was suspended for two weeks by the network after responding "F--k you" to an email sent out by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) that questioned the league's relationship with China and juxtaposed it against its push to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Marchand also noted ESPN canceled Wojnarowski's planned trip to the NBA's bubble near Orlando, Florida, as the league heads toward its scheduled restart on July 30.
Hawley's press office sent out an email questioning the NBA, and he was quick to make a public display of Wojnarowski's response:
That led to a suspension, with ESPN issuing the following statement: "This is completely unacceptable behavior and we do not condone it. It is inexcusable for anyone working for ESPN to respond in the way Adrian did to Senator Hawley. We are addressing it directly with Adrian and specifics of those conversations will remain internal."
Wojnarowski also apologized:
The reaction from NBA players was swift and in support of the journalist who is so often the first to break news within their league. A number of players, such as Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Jamal Murray, Spencer Dinwiddie and Myles Turner, took to social media to support Wojnarowski.
Most notably, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James tweeted his support by joining in with the #FreeWoj hashtag that trended following the suspension:
Marchand reported Wojnarowski still has support from ESPN management and has been close with the network's president, Jimmy Pitaro, dating back to their time together while working at Yahoo.