ESPN president Skipper resigns, citing substance addiction
ESPN president John Skipper, one of the most powerful figures in sports and media, stunned employees Monday with his sudden resignation, capping the most tumultuous year in the network’s history and casting uncertainty on its immediate future.
Skipper, 61, told employees in an email that he has struggled with a substance addiction for many years and is stepping down from his posts as ESPN president and co-chairman of the Disney Media Networks.
“I have decided that the most important thing I can do right now is to take care of my problem. … I come to this public disclosure with embarrassment, trepidation and a feeling of having let others I care about down,” Skipper wrote.
Skipper has been the network’s guiding force in an unpredictable period, helping it secure television rights to some of the sporting world’s biggest franchises and steadying the ship amid changing viewership habits that resulted in a dramatic drop in subscription numbers in recent years.
Despite these challenges, Disney recently signed Skipper to a contract extension and had begun making an aggressive push in the digital realm. Now, in addition to plotting a path through a rapidly changing market, the network will embark on an urgent search for a new leader.
Skipper will be replaced on an interim basis by George Bodenheimer, who served as ESPN’s president from 1998-2011 and also as the network’s executive chairman until May 2014.
“I’ve stayed in close contact with John, and I believe in the direction he’s taking ESPN,” Bodenheimer said in a statement. “He’s assembled an outstanding leadership team — many of whom I know very well — and I am extremely confident we will work together effectively to move ESPN forward during this transition.”