Rachel Nichols may have publicly apoligized, but that did not save her from being punished for her words.
On Tuesday, the Worldwide Leader In Sports announced her removal from the NBA Finals sideline. In her place will be Malika Andrews.
Nichols issued an apology to colleague Maria Taylor on The Jump Monday, following earlier comments about Taylor that came to light over the weekend.
On Sunday, The New York Times reported on a conversation Nichols had with media and athlete adviser Adam Mendelsohn in 2020 wherer she complained about Taylor’s increasing NBA coverage at the network, claiming her new role was at least in part due to ESPN’s “crappy longtime record on diversity.”
“I wish Maria Taylor all the success in the world—she covers football, she covers basketball,” Nichols said in the audio obtained by The New York Times. “If you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity—which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it—like, go for it. Just find it somewhere else.”
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“You are not going to find it from me or taking my thing away,” Nichols added.
