UPDATED July 12, 10:30 a.m. ET: Adrian Wojnarowski's suspension is without pay, the New York Post reports. Also, the NBA has reportedly scrapped Woj's trip to Orlando where he was set to cover the NBA when it resumes at the end of this month.
UPDATED July 11, 11:03 p.m. ET: Adrian Wojnarowski has been suspended by ESPN, according to Outkicksources.
There's a change.org petition to get his job back, which currently has over 3,000 signatures. You can sign it here.
See original story from 07/10/20 below.
Adrian Wojnarowski has issued an apology after sending a crude email to Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley on Friday.
On Friday morning, Woj wrote “fuck you” in response to a statement that Hawley, a Republican, sent to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, where Hawley asks why the NBA hasn’t approved slogans supporting the military and law enforcement. Hawley also criticized the NBA for caring more about maintaining its business relationship with China than advocating for Hong Kong. Hawley suggested that the league let players emblazon their jerseys with phrases like “Support Our Troops” and “Free Hong Kong.”
A few hours later, Hawley tweeted a screenshot of Woj’s response, writing, “Don’t criticize #China or express support for law enforcement to @espn. It makes them real mad.”
Woj tweeted his apology: “I was disrespectful and I made a regrettable mistake. I'm sorry for the way I handled myself and I am reaching out immediately to Senator Hawley to apologize directly. I also need to apologize to my ESPN colleagues because I know my actions were unacceptable and should not reflect on any of them.”
Hawley also shared the letter he sent to Silver.
The junior senator’s comments arrive after the NBA recently announced that players can choose to display social justice messages on the back of their jerseys—and in lieu of their last names—for four days when they return to play on July 30 in Orlando.
As for the Hong Kong piece, Hawley references the league's treatment of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey after he tweeted his support of Hong Kong protestors. The tweet threatened the league’s business agreements with the Chinese government, which didn’t air two preseason games from state television. “Let your players stand up for the people of Hong Kong,” Hawley wrote.
Twitter largely backed Woj, saying there was no reason for him to apologize.
