Maria Taylor is finally speaking out after her controversial departure from ESPN.
The newly-signed NBC sports broadcaster found herself embroiled in a messy situation this past month when, during her negotiations for a new deal with ESPN, details emerged of a racist beef between her and Rachel Nichols.
This was the video that ultimately set everything off:
Rachel Nichols: “If you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity — which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it — like, go for it. Just find it somewhere else.” pic.twitter.com/aB5MifujuX
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 4, 2021
Things got so weird in that whole debacle that even Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant couldn’t help but throw his two cents into the mix.
Now Taylor is moving on to bigger and better things – including covering the Olympics this month and the NFL on NBC when the season begins.
“Incredibly excited to have the opportunity to work with Pete, Molly, Sam, Fred, and the entire NBC Sports family,” Taylor said in a statement to NBC.
“Literally, hosting the Olympics, Football Night in America, and the Super Bowl is what I dreamed of when I started in television – and this would not be possible without standing on the shoulders of all of those who came before me and made this path possible. And I plan to pay it forward.”
The Bucks owner’s daughter decided to bring 2021 in with a bang by stripping all her clothes off. https://t.co/UgzhEEna4o
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 7, 2021
All in all, Taylor seems happy in her new role. As for Nichols – she is recovering slowly. Yes, she recently had to deal with an unfortunate, salacious rumor between her and an NBA player as a byproduct of this controversy. But she also received an incredibly kind gift from Giannis Antetokounmpo, which no doubt softens the blow somehow.
Everything seems to be returning to normal. Will Nichols and Taylor ever be friends? Probably not. But at least both can proceed on professionally in a healthy way – and that’s the best you can hope for in a situation like this.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
