Ex-ESPN president John Skipper says extortion threat over cocaine use spurred resignation

Skipper, who abruptly resigned as ESPN’s president in December, told the magazine that the substance addiction the company cited as the reason for his departure was related to cocaine use. He said his use of the drug was “quite infrequent” and “did not get in the way of my work.”

That changed, however, in December, when he bought cocaine from a source for the first time and that person or people attempted to extort him, Skipper said.

“They threatened me,” Skipper told The Reporter and contributor James Andrew Miller, who authored a book on ESPN. “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. 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.”

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Skipper, 62, joined ESPN in 1997 and took over as the company’s president in 2012. ESPN’s parent company, Disney, hired Jimmy Pitaro as Skipper’s replacement earlier this month.

Skipper told The Reporter that since departing ESPN, he has sought therapy and received treatment for his addiction. “I have resources to help me now,” he said. He explained that the extortion attempt opened his eyes to the dangers of his drug use, and prompted him to get help.

“I knew then I had a problem I needed to address,” Skipper told THR. “I acted very foolishly. It made me want to seek help and get this out of my life.”