Former ESPN Boss Admits to Cocaine Problem
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When John Skipper resigned from ESPN, many were shocked.
Skipper had just inked a new deal at the company as was in the process of planning the future of the sports network.
But, the ESPN boss was hiding a big secret, he was addicted to cocaine and he was using.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter's James Andrew Miller, Skipper talks about his problem and how he a dealer was trying to extort him and that's what led to his resignation.
JAM: Am I safe to assume then that your substance addiction was cocaine?
Skipper: It’d be safe to assume that.
JAM: Did you resign as president of ESPN?
Skipper: Yes.
JAM: Were you asked to resign by Disney CEO Bob Iger?
Skipper: It was clear to me that I put Bob in an untenable position.
JAM: Well, John, with all due respect, I’m a bit confused. There seems to be a big piece missing to this story. I’m looking at my notes: First, you’ve shared that you were an infrequent user of cocaine — something that could be true of others in the entertainment and media business. I’m not an expert in this area, but I’m not sure some would even call that an addiction. Second, you’ve stated categorically that your use never got in the way of your work. And third, you’ve admitted that on the days leading up to your decision to resign, you had no thoughts of resigning. None of that seems to explain why you reached the decision you had to resign.
I know this is difficult, John. I hope you understand why I’m pushing a bit here.
Skipper: In December, someone from whom I bought cocaine attempted to extort me.
JAM: Someone you had had dealings with in the past?
Skipper: No.
JAM: Again, respectfully, didn’t you just say you were careful about your dealings in this area?
Skipper: Not this time. It turned out I wasn’t careful this time.
JAM: What did they say?
Skipper: They threatened me, and I understood immediately that threat put me and my family at risk, and this exposure would put my professional life at risk as well. I foreclosed that possibility by disclosing the details to my family, and then when I discussed it with Bob, he and I agreed that I had placed the company in an untenable position and as a result, I should resign.
JAM: Did you agree to resign because you understood that Bob couldn’t allow the company, by extension, to be threatened by whoever was extorting you?
Skipper: I did understand that.
JAM: Were you also concerned that the company might wind up being in a position of having to defend your actions, or any behavior that accompanied or resulted from your drug use?
Skipper: That did occur to me. Look, it was inappropriate for the president of ESPN and an officer of The Walt Disney Co. to be associated in any way with any of this. I do want to make it clear, however, that anything I did in this regard, and anything else resulting from this, was a personal problem. My drug use never had any professional repercussions, but I still have profound regret. I accept that the consequences of my actions are my responsibility and have been appropriate. I also have to accept that I used very poor judgment.
