The National Football league is investigating allegations claiming that ESPN asked the coaches to call timeouts during the Monday Night Football game this week, so that the network could squeeze in additional commercials.
Monday, the Tennessee Titans faced off against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the game turned into a snoozer at the end, with the Titans up by 20 with less than two minutes to play. The scandal originated from the postgame press conference, where Titans coach Jeff Fisher said that ESPN wanted him to take a timeout:
“Jack used his timeouts, so it does me no good [to take a knee],” Fisher said.
Advertisement“Plus, you know, my understanding was that we needed some network timeouts, so I think that’s why Jack used his timeouts … because they came over and asked me to do it, and I said, ‘Well, I was hoping to get a first down and kneel on it. ‘ “
ESPN, for its part, says it “did not directly or indirectly” ask the coaches to take a timeout, but the damage from Fisher’s comment is done.
If ESPN had sold commercials that don’t air, the advertisers could be given a refund, or space on another NFL telecast.