Bill Simmons Goes Ballistic On Roger Goodell, Dares ESPN To Punish Him For It
ESPN ESPN's Bill Simmons spent a significant part of his podcast on a furious rant against NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday.
Simmons called him a liar, and said it was "f------ b-------" that Goodell told the media that he didn't know what went on between Ray Rice and his wife inside the elevator until he saw the TMZ video.
"I just think not enough is being made out of the fact that they knew about the tape and they knew what was on it," he said. "Goodell, if he didn't know what was on that tape, he's a liar."
Simmons is one of Goodell's most prominent critics. He did a lengthy mailbag where he called for the commissioner to step down after the Rice fiasco broke in early September.
After about three minutes of ripping on Goodell, things took a turn. Simmons seemed to dare his employer to say something to him about the rant, though he didn't mention ESPN by name.
"The commissioner's a liar and I get to talk about that on my podcast," he said. "Please, call me and say I'm in trouble. I dare you."
Here's what he said about Goodell:
I just think not enough is being made out of the fact that they knew about the tape and they knew what was on it. Goodell, if he didn't know what was on that tape, he's a liar. I'm just saying it. He is lying. I think that dude is lying. If you put him up on a lie detector test that guy would fail. For all these people to pretend they didn't know is such f------ b-------. It really is — it's such f------ b-------. And for him to go in that press conference and pretend otherwise, I was so insulted. I really was.
[...]
The best point that a lot of people have made about this is this is exactly why he fined and suspended Sean Payton for a season [for Bountygate]. Sean Payton was like, 'I didn't know.' [Goodell] was like, 'Well ignorance [is not an excuse]' and suspended him for a year. This is the same exact situation and it's worse, because he knew and he's a liar.
And here's his message to ESPN:
I really hope somebody calls me or emails me and says I'm in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell. Because if one person says that to me, I'm going public. You leave me alone. The commissioner's a liar and I get to talk about that on my podcast ... Please, call me and say I'm in trouble. I dare you.
Simmons has clashed with ESPN a few times over the years. In 2013 he was briefly banned from Twitter for criticizing "First Take." In 2009 he was suspended for criticizing an ESPN Radio affiliate.
The full audio can be heard here. The ESPN part starts about the 3:05 mark:
NOW WATCH: Pro Teams Hire This Sports Psychologist To Help Players Manage Aggression Off The Field
More From Business Insider
