ESPN Head: We are 'Not a Political Organization'

The president of ESPN Friday tried to quell the uproar created by an anchor's blast at President Donald Trump, scolding his staff that the sports network is "not a political organization," CNN Money reported.

"I want to remind everyone about fundamental principles at ESPN," John Skipper wrote in the staff-wide memo, the outlet reported, printing the missive in full. "ESPN is about sports."

The memo came in the wake of anchor Jemele Hill's tweetstorm on Monday that included calling Trump a "white supremacist" — a slam that prompted the White House to call for her firing.

Skipper, without naming Hill, called out the behavior.

"We have social media policies which require people to understand that social platforms are public and their comments on them will reflect on ESPN," he wrote. "At a minimum, comments should not be inflammatory or personal."

"We had a violation of those standards in recent days and our handling of this is a private matter," he added.

He also dismissed the "public narrative" about the controversy.

"ESPN is not a political organization," Skipper wrote, adding, "In light of recent events, we need to remind ourselves that we are a journalistic organization and that we should not do anything that undermines that position."

"Let's not let the public narrative re-write who we are or what we stand for. Let's not be divided in that pursuit."

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