Yesterday afternoon ESPN announced the suspension of Jemele Hill, due to her comments about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Hill was specifically suspended for "a second violation of ESPN's social media guidelines," and will be off the air for two weeks.
The first time Hill violated ESPN's "social media guidelines" was when she sent out several tweets criticizing President Trump, calling him a white supremacist as well as "the most offensive president of her lifetime."
Today, Trump took his opportunity to bash Jemele Hill amid the suspension, blaming her for ESPN's poor ratings. Trump tweeted,
"With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have 'tanked,' in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!"
Jemele Hill had called out Jerry Jones for comments he made about Cowboys players who "disrespect the flag."
She took to twitter prior to yesterday's suspension to clarify her comments, tweeting, "Just so we're clear: I'm not advocating a NFL boycott. But an unfair burden has been put on players in Dallas & Miami w/ anthem directives." She added, "If fans really are that upset about what JJ & Stephen Ross have done, don't call the players sellouts, but you're watching every Sunday."
Jones told reporters, per ESPN,
"If there's anything that is disrespectful to the flag, then we will not play," Jones said after the Cowboys' 35-31 loss to the Green Bay Packers. "Understand? We will not ... if we are disrespecting the flag, then we will not play. Period."
Hill has received an outpouring of support in wake of the suspension and her colleague, Josina Anderson, came to her aid this morning. Anderson tweeted at Trump to stop attacking Jemele for doing her job.
https://twitter.com/_/status/917469637033512960