John Skipper Reveals . . .

[cjericho]

That might very well be, and I think it's a fair question to ask. He's a major figure in the industry who left his high-profile position suddenly and under a cloud. My complaint is really with the "must be hookers" talk. That strikes me as baseless and dumb.

And again, I don't know John at all. Have never met and never spoken. I'm not just reflexively defending a friend here. I have no idea the truth of his departure. I tend to agree with @Azrael that "extorted by a coke dealer" seems worse than a lot of the other possibilities. That would be a heck of a lie to tell about yourself. But whether it's true or not, I don't have the faintest.

"The must be hookers talk." came only from Travis? As I said, never listened to the guy's podcast or radio show. My complaint is that this interview seems to just say, 'Oh yeah,
his coke dealer was going to extort or blackmail him, so he had to resign. Can't be anything more to it."
I met the guy once, so I don't know him. I'm going on what I was told by people who worked at ESPN.

As someone who never met him, you read that article and thought that he had a coke problem and nothing else?

 

[typefitter]

"The must be hookers talk." came only from Travis? As I said, never listened to the guy's podcast or radio show. My complaint is that this interview seems to just say, 'Oh yeah,
his coke dealer was going to extort or blackmail him, so he had to resign. Cab't be anything more to it."
I met the guy once, so I don't know him. I'm going on what I was told by people who worked at ESPN.

As someone who never met him, you read that article and thought that he had a coke problem and nothing else?

The hookers stuff came from @Songbird here, as far as I can recollect. That's when it entered my view and when I called it out.

I read the article and thought: "That's one forked-up story." I think it would be a crazy lie to tell about yourself, but who knows?

 

[cjericho]

The hookers stuff came from @Songbird here, as far as I can recollect. That's when it entered my view and when I called it out.

I read the article and thought: "That's one forked-up story." I think it would be a crazy lie to tell about yourself, but who knows?

Again, who ever said it was a lie? Songbird and I said there is more to it, and if he is resigning because his coke dealer is extorting/blackmailing him,
it could be the first time that's ever happened.

I didn't say it was hookers, but I did say a buddy told me he went to 'a rub and tug place' with Skipper.
If you take a rub and tug place as a place with hookers, OK. Other guys who worked at ESPN said Skipper was with
women other than his wife.

Is there any concrete evidence of Skipper doing coke?

So we should just believe that because he said it? The hollywoodreporter interview basically said what he said in his resignation.

I agree that anyone on the internet can say anything, but I also think any corporate exec can say anything.

If Skipper was about to be extorted or blackmailed by his coke dealer, shouldn't he reveal who the coke dealer is???
Shouldn't he report the coke dealer to the police???
Doesn't he hope other guys don't hurt their wives by doing coke???

 

[typefitter]

Jesus Christ, man, I don't think I can say this any more clearly than I already have.

1) It's okay not to accept Skipper's account. It's okay to ask questions about it. You are under no obligation to believe him.

2) That being said, I don't think it's okay to say things like this, which @Songbird said on the third page of this thread:

BTW, you don't emphasize particularly my wife unless you forked around on her, probably with a hooker.

That's ridiculous. That is the entirety of my argument. That is it.

 

[cjericho]

Damn, I didn't mean to raise your blood pressure. Just asking as someone who said they never met the guy, do you think that is
believable?

Never hung out with him or worked with him, but I met the guy and know people who worked at the WWL.
From my perspective it's a complete crock of shirt that he resigned because he was
about to be extorted by his coke dealer. Was just wondering how it read to someone who
knows nothing about the guy.

 

[Songbird]

Damn, I didn't mean to raise your blood pressure.

That's what happens when he gets all pseudo moralistic.

JAM: You were, however, dealing with an illegal substance. Throughout your years of use, were you worried about getting caught?

Skipper: It turns out I was more than unusually clever in devising ways to separate my professional life from my personal life.

Hmmm, so Johnny was more than unusually clever in devising ways to separate my professional life from my personal life when it came to blowing coke ... but ol' typefitter thinks it's unfair for someone to read such an admission and suggest that Johnny may have devised ways to cheat on his wife too. That's rich. Because a guy who lies to his wife about a coke addiction would NEVER lie about infidelity. Ever.

 

[Azrael]

Still doesn't explain his resignation.

Again, what's the benefit - to anyone - in lying about a cocaine extortion plot?

If we're saying this is an incomplete explanation, or a fabricated explanation, who benefits from it?

 

[Songbird]

You know who benefits ... HE benefits from the whopper so long as no one pokes holes in it and he gets another job.

Again, take it from someone who lived that world: Johnny concocted a whopper.

The "extortionist coke dealer" is a cover for something much bigger.

 

[Azrael]

How does he benefit from a story so outrageous that knuckleheads like you and me and Clay Travis are poking holes in it as soon as it publishes?

C'mon.

Another job? He's 62 years old and just admitted to a coke habit.

I agree that there might be more here than meets the eye, but I also credit Bob Iger and John Skipper as smart enough to come up with a much better cover story.

 

[Azrael]

In fact, it's the dopey implausibility of the cocaine extortion story that makes it believable.

 

[Songbird]

I agree that there might be more here than meets the eye, but I also credit Bob Iger and John Skipper as smart enough to come up with a much better cover story.

That's your big mistake then.

So implausible that it's believable? LOL, OK, Az. I thought you were smarter than that.

 

[Songbird]

I also have no doubt he's gotten 25 offers to work since the Hollywood Reporter story dropped.

Finding work will be the least of his issues.