Thursday, March 28, 2024

Jemele Hill Denies ESPN Host Chris Berman Left Her a ‘Racially Disparaging’ Voicemail

[videowaywire video_id=”1EBEF6D684F4E411″]chris berman & jemelle hill

*Former “SportsCenter” anchor Jemele Hill denies claims made in a former colleague’s lawsuit that ESPN’s Chris Berman left Hill a “racially disparaging voicemail” and that nothing happened to him after Hill complained.

The voicemail allegations surfaced Monday (March 5) when former ESPN host Adrienne Lawrence filed a discrimination lawsuit against the network, claiming “SportsCenter” anchor John Buccigross sexually harassed her. She also describes ESPN as a workplace “rife with misogyny.”

Hill, who now writes about race and various social issues for ESPN’s sports culture website, admits to having “personal conflict” with Berman but denies he left her a racist voicemail in 2016 and nothing was done about it.

“Chris never left any racially disparaging remarks on my voicemail and our conflict was handled swiftly and with the utmost professionalism,” she wrote on Twitter.

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ESPN has also released the following statement:

“We conducted a thorough investigation of the claims Adrienne Lawrence surfaced to ESPN and they are entirely without merit. Ms. Lawrence was hired into a two-year talent development program and was told that her contract would not be renewed at the conclusion of the training program. At that same time, ESPN also told 100 other talent with substantially more experience, that their contracts would not be renewed. The company will vigorously defend its position and we are confident we will prevail in court.”

In her suit, Lawrence points to several alleged incidents to make her point. 

“In early 2016, ESPN’s ‘The Undefeated’ personality Jemele Hill received a threatening and racially disparaging voicemail from Berman on her ESPN phone line.”

Lawrence claims Hill notified ESPN executive Marcia Keegan — who oversaw Hill’s show, “His & Hers” — but ultimately “nothing was done.”

She also claims Berman has been involved in multiple incidents involving mistreatment of women — but “remains a celebrated and welcome ESPN employee.”

When Hill hit back at the claim on Twitter, she noted her disappointment with Lawrence’s decision to “misrepresent and relay a private conversation” without her knowledge.

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