Massively popular sports commentator, Grantland mastermind, and recent The Ringer founder Bill Simmons left ESPN last year, after 15 years of saying things, getting suspended for saying things, and then sometimes saying he was sorry. Now, he’s moved on to HBO, but not before getting in one last apology for the road.
Specifically, Simmons is saying sorry for a number of comments he made in a recent Hollywood Reporter interview, where he referred to his exit from the network—which involved being informed he was getting let go via Twitter—as “fucking shitty.” He also questioned the company’s recent move away from big personalities in broadcasting, saying, “ESPN has now gotten rid of everybody who is a little off the beaten path. Ask yourself this: ‘Who could work there that you respect right now?’”
In hindsight, that apparently came off as harsh even for the fiery Simmons, who issued an apology today via Instagram. In it, he absolves the Reporter’s writers of all blame for the quotes, dubbing himself a “jackass,” before moving on to thank a number of people he’d worked with at the network.
Simmons’ new show, Any Given Wednesday, begins airing later this month, with its first controversy/suspension/apology cycle to presumably kick in a few weeks after that.