Hugh Douglas is no longer an ESPN employee.
The network cut ties with the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman on Tuesday, a week after Douglas was allegedly involved in a verbal altercation with colleague Michael Smith during the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Orlando. Sources told The Big Lead that Douglas “threatened to beat up” Smith, his co-host on ESPN’s Numbers Never Lie, and used racial slurs during an argument at the House of Blues.
“He no longer works for us effective today,” an ESPN spokesperson told Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch on Tuesday.
Douglas, who played 10 NFL seasons with the Eagles, Jets and Jaguars before becoming an analyst in 2011, had not appeared on ESPN after the allegations surfaced. He released a statement via Twitter on Tuesday, confirming that he and the network have parted ways.
[tweet https://twitter.com/Bighugh53/statuses/367345867394912256 align=’center’]
