ESPN suspended columnist Bill Simmons Wednesday for a tirade in which he called NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a "liar." Fans immediately began criticizing the move on Twitter.
Within hours, the hashtag #freesimmons was trending. The vast majority of the tweets expressed support for Simmons and criticized the decision to penalize him.
Can you get any lower @espn? #freesimmons
so NFL commish covers up abuse, commentator calls him out for it... and *the commentator* is suspended #freesimmons #boycottespn
@BillSimmons thank u for taking a stand against domestic violence #freesimmons #FireGoodell
What if this was your daughter? #WakeUp #freesimmons #NFL #ESPN
Espn has now sunken into disgrace. Shame on you espn #freesimmons
Some observers pointed out that Simmons' suspension is longer than the penalty initially imposed on Ray Rice.
The NFL initially suspended Rice for two games after domestic violence allegations surfaced. That suspension was later made indefinite when a video went public that showed Rice knocking out his then-fiancée, Janay Palmer. Simmons' suspension resulted from comments over the way Goodell and the NFL handled the Rice case.
how is the penalty greater for giving your opinion than it is for knocking out a woman in an elevator? #freesimmons
Simmons got a longer suspension than rice and goodell combined... Looks like the truth isn't important to ESPN anymore #freesimmons
Bill Simmons got a longer suspension for calling Goodell what he most likely is, than Rice did for what Goodell is lying about. #NFL #ESPN
Others contrasted Simmons' suspension to the milder one First Take commenter host Stephen A. Smith received.
ESPN took Smith off the air for a week in July after he suggested that Palmer could have helped prevent her own assault. The comments caused an uproar, with many saying they amounted to victim-blaming.
All you need to know about ESPN: Stephen A Smith says women need to stop provoking men = 1 week. Simmons says Goodell is lying = 3 weeks.
Stephen A insinuates women provoke domestic violence, One Week. Simmons says some truth against Goddell... 3 weeks #justsaying #FreeSimmons
So Stephen A. Gets only 1 week for blaming domestic violence on the victim but Bill Simmons gets 3 for violating "Journalistic Standards"
Stephen A. implies Janay had it coming, gets 2 week suspension. Simmons calls for accountability/honesty, gets 3 weeks. Bad look for @ESPN
Many fans said they plan to avoid ESPN after Simmons' suspension.
Boycott @Espn #freesimmons
Ok, so avoid all @espn media outlets for the next three weeks- got it. #freesimmons
I'm suspending @espn pussies for 3 weeks moving to @NBCSN @FOXSports1 and taking @PTI off the DVR (sorry guys) #freesimmons @MrTonySays
Simmons' suspension also apparently won him new fans.
I never agree with @BillSimmons when it comes to basketball, but I agree 100% with what he said about goddell #freesimmons #resigngoodell
Wasn't a huge @BillSimmons fan but starting to appreciate his style more and more especially after this #Goodell rant #freesimmons
With that move @espn may have just made @BillSimmons the most popular man in the United States of America. #FreeSimmons
And finally, some people tweeted that it all boiled down to money.
That's bull shit about @BillSimmons getting suspended. Can't offend the @nfl $ machine. #FreeSimmons
IMO @espn suspension of @BillSimmons is more about financial interest than journalistic integrity Part of integrity is honesty. #freesimmons