LOS ANGELES (AP) – The former president of ESPN said he resigned from the sports network after an extortion plot by someone who sold him cocaine.
John Skipper told the Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Thursday that the drug seller, whom he did not name, tried to extort him in December. He said he hadn’t had dealings with the seller before, and previously had been “careful” about buying cocaine.
“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,” Skipper said.
He said he discussed the situation with Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger on Dec. 15, 2017, and they agreed Skipper “had placed the company in an untenable position.” He resigned on Dec. 18 after leading ESPN since 2012, saying he was going to seek treatment for a substance abuse problem.
He said he used drugs recreationally and that it never impacted his work at ESPN.