ESPN President John Skipper Resigns Citing Substance Addiction, George Bodenheimer To Take Over

John Skipper is leaving ESPN after five years in charge.

John Skipper ESPN resignation news

The network’s president announced his resignation on Monday, citing a long-standing “substance addiction.” Skipper, who turns 62 on Tuesday, had recently signed a contract extension through 2021.

“I come to this public disclosure with embarrassment, trepidation and a feeling of having let others I care about down.”

“I have struggled for many years with a substance addiction. I have decided that the most important thing I can do right now is to take care of my problem.”

Skipper had been at ESPN, a division of the Walt Disney Company, since 1997. George Bodenheimer, a former president for ESPN, will step in as the company’s acting chairman for 90 days.

In recent months, ESPN has been facing a string of problems. Pay-TV subscriptions have declined substantially as younger viewers switch to digital products and services, and the network has also laid off scores of employees, including about 100 workers this past summer. Two more employees were also recently fired for sexual misconduct, and the company also canceled a partnership with controversial media outlet Barstool Sports after one of the latter’s employees laced vulgarity at ESPN sideline reporter Samantha Ponder on social media.

Some hosts, like SportsCenter’s Jemele Hill, caused an uproar twice in recent months that led to her suspension from ESPN after she tweeted comments in which she lambasted President Donald Trump, for his response to the alt-right rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia in August and to the NFL national anthem protests.

On Monday morning, Hill took to Twitter again to praise Skipper for his mentorship since she joined ESPN in 2006.

In 1998, Skipper helped launch ESPN The Magazine. Seven years later, he became the network’s head of content.

Disney, which owns ESPN, announced this week that it had reached an agreement to purchase most of 21st Century Fox’s assets, including its 22 regional sports networks.

In the spring, ESPN will launch ESPN Plus, a digital streaming service that is set to stream more than 10,000 live events, although it won’t include games shown on ESPN or ESPN2.