Report: Cocaine extortion plot led to resignation of former ESPN president
Former ESPN president John Skipper revealed he was forced to resign after 27 years with the Disney Company in December after he was extorted by someone from which he purchased cocaine in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
In December, Skipper cited “substance addiction” as the reason for his resignation, but no further information was revealed until Thursday.
“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, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “I foreclosed that possibility by disclosing the details to my family, and then when I discussed it with [Disney CEO] Bob [Iger], he and I agreed that I had placed the company in an untenable position and as a result, I should resign.”
Skipper, who will be replaced by Disney executive Jimmy Pitaro, said he only used cocaine infrequently over his career at ESPN and never did cocaine while at work.
More of the Q&A with Skipper can be read on the Hollywood Reporter.
