Rachel Nichols made her first public appearance on Showtime since leaving ESPN and said “at least one person” decided to spy on her after she left new recording equipment on.
Nichols, 48, was recorded speaking to Adam Mendelsohn, an advisor to many athletes including LeBron James, as saying she believes Maria Taylor, 35, has taken over coverage of the 2020 NBA Finals so that the network can promote diversity.
She explained on Showtime’s All The Smoke podcast, hosted by former NBA players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, that she was using new gear and was unaware that she was the line she shared with ESPN’s Bristol headquarters connected, had not switched off.
“At least one person decided to just sit and watch and start spying on me like I was their own personal TV show,” she said.
“When they heard something they thought was funny, they picked up their phones and started recording my conversation.”
Nichols added that ESPN’s decision to put Nichols in a supporting role as a reporter and promote Taylor to host during the 2020 NBA playoffs was in response to a New York Times article detailing the network’s diversity opportunities were questioned.
Rachel Nichols, 48, says she believes she was spied on during a conversation with “boyfriend” Adam Mendelsohn in 2020, which later led to her departure from ESPN
The conversation revealed Nichols believed Maria Taylor (pictured) was promoted during ESPN’s coverage of the NBA Finals so the network could promote diversity
While providing context for why she was having the conversation with Mendelsohn, whom Nichols called “a friend,” she added that hosting the NBA Finals was included in her contract with ESPN.
“He brought up the article that had appeared in the newspaper about ESPN’s lack of opportunities for people of color, and we began talking about how my situation might overlap with some of the racial and gender stories of a well-documented network and complicated.” ‘ said Nicholas.
The 2020 recording between Nichols and Mendelsohn was documented by The New York Times in an article showing Nichols lamenting Taylor’s increased coverage.
“If you need to give her more to do because you’re feeling pressure because of your crappy long-term track record on diversity — which I personally know on the female side, by the way — then do it,” Nichols says.
‘Just find it somewhere else.’
After the article was published, Taylor left ESPN for NBC, where she serves as a sports commentator and host of Football Night in America.
Speaking on Showtime’s All The Smoke podcast, Nichols said no wrongdoing was found in the recording and it was not disciplined until after it was released
Nichols, who hosted ESPN’s “The Jump” in addition to his live NBA broadcasts, said more context wasn’t included since the recording was publicly circulated
Nichols and ESPN split in 2021, resulting in Nichols joining Showtime Sport’s NBA coverage in 2022
During the call, Nichols said there was no documentation that she called Taylor “incredibly talented” and wished her “all the success in the world.”
She continued, noting part of the conversation where Nichols said Rece Davis, who hosts College GameDay, would not be asked to be a sideline reporter for the same reasons.
“I’ve struggled through a lot of things in this business to get where I am,” she said.
“To me it felt like, ‘Hey, if you have a problem, if it’s this article, if it’s something else, whatever it is, why are you coming to these two women to solve it? ‘
According to Nichols, who subsequently received a new contract when Taylor was promoted, ESPN’s human resources department found no wrongdoing when investigating the recording.
“I think there were still some people who had bad feelings and they held on to that bond for a year,” she said. ‘
Taylor, 35, left ESPN shortly after the recording was reported for NBC, where she now works as a sports reporter and host of Football Night in America.
Nichols said she believes Taylor is “incredibly talented” and wishes her “all the success in the world.”
Nichols show “The Jump” was canceled in 2021 and then removed from all NBA programs.
When a recording of the call leaked and began circulating among ESPN staff, it sparked a crisis that saw several of the network’s top talent consider refusing to go on the air in protest.
It also caused anger among black network staff, who felt the secretly recorded conversation was a more accurate reflection of white attitudes towards diversity.
Anger boiled over when it was revealed ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro would not discipline Nichols despite staff requests.
The only person known to have been fined was Kayla Johnson, a black digital video producer who reportedly told human resources that she had sent the video to Taylor.
Johnson was suspended for two weeks without pay and was later given less desirable duties at work. She left ESPN in 2021 along with other black employees who felt mistreated by the network.
A year after her departure from ESPN, Nichols has since been hired by Showtime Sports to contribute to the network’s growing NBA coverage.