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ESPN Removes Rachel Nichols From NBA Finals Coverage

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ESPN has reportedly benched reporter Rachel Nichols from its NBA Finals sideline protection after receiving backlash over a recording that surfaced of her making disparaging feedback about her Black colleague, Maria Taylor.

In an announcement, ESPN instructed CBS News its choice will maintain the deal with the Finals, which kicked off on Tuesday (July 6).

As a substitute of Nichols, reporter Malika Andrews will present the sideline experiences. The community stated Nichols will nonetheless host The Soar in the course of the NBA Finals. Taylor remains to be scheduled to host NBA Countdown for the collection between the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.

Clips obtained by the New York Times confirmed Nichols speaking to LeBron James’ advisor Adam Mendelsohn whereas she was within the NBA bubble final July. Based on the New York Submit, Nichols was unaware her video digicam was on whereas she was on the telephone and it was recorded and uploaded to an ESPN server.

“I want Maria Taylor all of the success on this planet — she covers soccer, she covers basketball,” Nichols stated in a single clip. “If that you must give her extra issues to do as a result of you’re feeling stress about your crappy longtime report on variety — which, by the way in which, I do know personally from the feminine facet of it — like, go for it. Simply discover it some place else. You aren’t going to seek out it from me or taking my factor away.”

She added: “I simply need them to go some place else — it’s in my contract, by the way in which; this job is in my contract in writing.”

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On Monday (July 5), in the course of the opening of The Soar on ESPN 2, Nichols made an on-air apology to Taylor.

“So the very first thing they educate you in journalism faculty is don’t be the story. And I don’t plan to interrupt that rule at this time or distract from a improbable Finals,” Nichols stated. “However I additionally don’t need to let this second move with out saying how a lot I respect, how a lot I worth our colleagues right here at ESPN. How deeply, deeply sorry I’m for disappointing these I harm, significantly Maria Taylor, and the way grateful I’m to be a part of this excellent crew.”

The Instances experiences many ESPN staff had been “outraged” by Nichols’ feedback within the video with one telling the newspaper that Nichols not being punished over her feedback was “an lively supply of ache.”

Taylor has not publicly commented because the launch of the clip and declined remark to The Instances.

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