On free speech, Bill Simmons, and the price of fame

"A case could be made that Simmons, who had done excellent work taking Goodell and the NFL to task up to this point, undermined ESPN’s solid journalistic efforts on the Rice story with some Grantland grandstanding. I don’t think that was his intent; Simmons tends to follow his passions as if they were truths, especially in podcasts, where he seems to act as if he is alone with a friend at the bar." - Robert Lipsyte, ESPN Ombudsman

When I first joined Facebook, I was only connected to a handful of friends. My first few posts -- while watching a Broncos game -- weren't exactly family friendly. They were hyper critical barbs at Kyle Orton. I followed a similar posting plan for a while.

Facebook was a place for me to share my opinions unvarnished. Then I got a job working for Highlands Church. I was connected on Facebook to a number of parishoners, and my posting style changed. It had to. My posts no longer just represented me, they represented my organization. That was my choice. As an employee of Highlands with a public page, I knew I had to hold myself to a higher standard.

Most of my colleagues understood this, too. Some didn't, and that created problems. I couldn't help but think about that this week when word came down that ESPN suspended Bill Simmons for three weeks following comments he made in his weekly NFL podcast.

My first reaction was anger. I love Simmons, I like reading his columns and listening to his podcasts. It's part of what makes football season football season for me. And while I didn't agree with all of what he said, and I thought he spent too long bashing the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell, there is a chance he's dead on.

He's also not the first or only person to have said those things. He said them more matter of fact. He said them more profanely. And he said them more defiantly. But the Internet has been rife with such comments for weeks. And the fact that Simmons got a three week suspension for being critical of the NFL, while Ray Rice initially got a two week suspension for punching his now-wife, that seemed the height of hypocrisy.

Then I read a piece from the ESPN Ombudsman, Robert Lipsyte, who looked at the actions of Simmons, ESPN, and tried to make sense of the mess. When he started talking about the larger responsibility Simmons has as an employee of ESPN, I started to think a bit differently.

Free speech is important. It is something worth fighting for and something worth protecting. Simmons should be able to say whatever he wants. But he's also a public figure -- arguably the most recognizable public figure in his organization. What he says, especially on the company's site and on the company's dime, has consequences. You can't totally separate the man from the organization, and what he said reflected poorly on the organization and made declarative statements that harm a business partner of ESPN without any proof. That doesn't meet the standards of good journalism, good free speech, or good conduct.

And the fact he called out his bosses, basically daring them to suspend him for his outspoken views, is worse.

I like Bill Simmons, and I wish I had one of his Friday preview columns to read today. But I don't. And in the end, he has no one to blame but himself.

Sometimes we have to bite out tongue in public to serve the greater good. Maybe that's something he'll ponder over these three long weeks while we wait for his unique brand of humor and commentary to return.