LaVar Ball will not appear on any ESPN related content in the near future.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the network told journalist Richard Deitsch that ESPN has "no plan moving forward" that involves the Ball family patriarch.Â
"There will be no LaVar Ball on any ESPN platform heading forward—at least for now," Deitsch tweeted. "Asked if Ball will be used as an on-air guest, an on-the-record source for digital, or a background source of ESPN, and ESPN spokesperson said, 'We have no plans moving forward.'"
Although the spokesperson didn't disclose to Deitsch what prompted this decision, it could have stemmed from his recent appearance on First Take. While discussing his the trade that sent his son to New Orleans, mediator, Molly Qerim, tried to segway the conversation by asking if she could "switch gears." Ball decided to use this term as an opportunity to make a sexually suggestive remark to Qerim.
"You can switch gears with me anytime," he interjected.Â
Understandably, the comment angered viewers and fellow analysts who came to Qerim's defense by openly condemning Ball's behavior.
ESPN responded to Ball's antics the same day. In a statement to TMZ, the network said "LaVar Ball’s comment to Molly Qerim Rose was completely inappropriate. We made him aware of that."
