ESPN’s Rachel Nichols was recorded having a private conversation on Wednesday, which was leaked to the media, according to reports. The long-time ESPN employee did not turn off her camera and ESPN did not shut off her feed, which allowed one unauthorized person to record the whole 30-minute conversation he had on the phone.
Deadspin published a story on Wednesday, where they claim they received four video clips of Nichols’ conversation, where this person tried to make her look bad, as a ‘backstabber’ and a ‘phone ally’. During the call, she reportedly discussed personnel matters at ESPN.
Late Tuesday night, an anonymous party sent a Deadspin reporter four videos, which appeared to be a cell phone recording of a video feed, that shows ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, host of the afternoon NBA show The Jump, in a phone conversation with an unidentified man about personnel matters at the network.
Nichols (whose face never appears on camera) and the other party to the call discuss Nichols’ career, ESPN staff, and the World Wide Leader’s decision about who will host the network’s coverage of the NBA Finals. In light of privacy concerns and our being unable to view the entirety of the conversation recorded, we have chosen not to detail the conversation or post the video of the call. Sources have told Deadspin that the entire video of Nichols’ conversation was 30 minutes long. Deadspin received about four minutes of edited footage. It is also worth noting that the videos were sent to Deadspin as an attempt to discredit Nichols’ job status within ESPN, and with the public at large, with the anonymous source texting our reporter that the videos would “expose” Nichols as a “back-stabber” and a phony ally.
Nothing in the videos Deadspin viewed show Nichols saying anything that could be construed as either a back-stabber or phony ally. Historically, casting successful women as conniving backstabbers has been a tried and true method of encouraging public condemnation of them. (See, e.g., Clinton, Hillary, and Warren, Elizabeth). You love to see the classics trotted out.
ESPN issued a statement after the news saw the light, rejecting this behavior and assuring the things discussed on the phone call didn’t affect Nichols or his job at the company.
“We are extremely disappointed about the leak of a private conversation. It’s indefensible and an intrusion on Rachel’s privacy,” ESPN said in a statement, via Deadspin. “As for the substance of the conversation, it is not reflective of our decision-making on staffing assignments for the NBA, which has largely been driven by the circumstances of the pandemic.”
People really have a lot of free time these days. They try to hurt other people with the tiniest thing they can find. Nichols is currently at the bubble, getting ready for the NBA return.
Florida requires consent from both parties to record any phone conversation. Nichols didn’t consent that, so the person responsible should be punished for this.
