John Skipper, the president of the sports network ESPN and Disney Media Network co-chairman, has resigned from his post due to his drug addiction problem. Skipper's announcement shocked both the realms of media and sports, since it seemingly came out of nowhere. However, Skipper has been firm that his drug problem is something that has been bothering him for years now, which is why he feels the need to take care of it as soon as possible.
According to the reports, the 62-year-old Skipper delivered a heartfelt announcement last Tuesday, Dec. 19, wherein he explained his reasons for leaving ESPN. Skipper stated that "I have decided that the most important thing I can do right now is to take care of my problem." The person who will assume Skipper's responsibilities is George Bodenheimer, who will be filling in for the position for 90 days until a proper successor is named.
During this time, Bodenheimer will be assisting ESPN with all the presidential tasks, as well as determining who the next best candidate for permanent successor may be. Bodenheimer has already had significant experience in the company, 13 years to be precise. On top of that, Bodenheimer already has experience being the ESPN president from 1998 to 2011. Bodenheimer has expressed his full support in Skipper's decision to leave the company.
The timing of Skipper's departure can be considered untimely, due to the busy schedule and pending deal that he has with 21 Century Fox, which totals to about $52.4 billion. This may seem like a big deal, but the network has been declining in terms of viewership and subscription in recent years. Skipper's departure also affected Disney shares, which experienced a drop of 0.2 percent last Monday, Dec. 18.
Skipper has recently signed a contract extension, which was supposed to extend his post until 2021.
