Bill Simmons no longer works for ESPN, which means the popular sports columnist is able to criticize the network and the NFL whenever he wants.
In the Wednesday edition of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” the now-HBO employee talked to guest Malcolm Gladwell about many different topics. One of them was Deflategate, and the New Yorker writer didn’t hold back in his criticism, Wells Report included.
“Every time we learned something new, it got more ridiculous,” Gladwell said, about 53 minutes into the podcast. “It was one of those rare occasions where, you sometimes think that, as new revelations come out, it will resolve the controversy. You’ll have a deeper understanding. This was the opposite. Every time I read something new, it’s like, wait, it’s just stupider and dumber.
“The Wells Report, such as it was, was a piece of astonishing garbage. I mean, just because a report is produced at great cost by a fancy-sounding law firm and a lawyer with a long reputation does not mean it clarifies the issues or represents an intelligent and thoughtful analysis of the issues. That report was just (expletive). It’s just, like, ordered up by the NFL’s office to cover their disastrous decisions.”
Simmons has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Deflategate process and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Simmons’ harsh criticism of Goodell on his former ESPN podcast landed him a suspension in September of last year. His appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” in May, during which he made critical comments on Goodell, was one of the final things he did as an ESPN employee before the network announced Simmons’ contract would not be renewed.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
