While most public figures who've come out against Jemele Hill have attempted to discredit or shame the ESPN host, Speak For Yourself host Jason Whitlock took a different course in what he projected about her controversial tweet on President Trump. Whereas Darryl Strawberry basically said she was being divisive, and ex-Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke labeled her a "backbencher," Whitlock acknowledged Hill's gift for talk-television and for the most part refrained from passing judgment on the comment. Rather, he doesn't expect that she'd be issuing an apology because he thinks she was saying what she actually believes, and then he presented an intriguing theory: Hill was trying to get fired.
"I think this is her exit strategy. I think we're looking at someone who doesn't fit at ESPN, would prefer to be on the hardcore sports talk circuit, and wants to do a show like The View, or her own show where she can just dabble in sports," Whitlock said during an appearance on Fox Business on Thursday, September 14. "I think this move of attacking President Trump has worked to build her brand and made her a more viable television personality outside of ESPN," he said. Whitlock's tone was a lot more subjective moments prior when he griped conversations revolving around the NFL being "too negative" and "too political."
Thus far Hill has had to fight off heavy criticism and calls for her release from the network. But she has also received the encouragement and support of many who've found it difficult to disagree with her right to express such feelings about the President in today's racial climate. Hill came under fire for calling Trump a "white supremacist," and while she has since apologized for putting her employer in the position it has found itself, she has yet to formally apologize for the remarks. Colin Kaepernick and Kevin Durant are among the athletes who have stepped up to back the SportsCenter host.
