The timing of Lee Fitting’s departure at ESPN raised plenty of questions, as it came just weeks ahead of the 2023 college football and NFL seasons.
But while those questions appeared to have been answered with the ensuing College GameDay Emmy fraud scandal that was made public months later, it appears there was more to the story.
According to a new report published by The Athletic, Fitting was accused of making “comments objectifying women, criticizing their physical appearance and making crude jokes, some sexual in nature, in the workplace” during his time at ESPN. The Worldwide Leader reportedly opened a human resources investigation following a complaint regarding the senior vice president of production’s behavior in 2023, shortly before he was ultimately let go.
“Multiple people said they described to an HR official instances in which they believed Fitting engaged in inappropriate conduct and/or discriminated against women,” the report reads. “Two current ESPN executives briefed about the result of the HR investigation said the findings gave the company little choice but to let Fitting go.”
The Athletic’s report details multiple accusations that had been made against Fitting, including instances in which he allegedly joked about the oral sex skills of a woman who wasn’t present or employed by ESPN and told another woman, “I’ve got a seat right here for you” while patting his lap during a production meeting. Fitting denied the accusations and declined to comment on “the broader characterization of him as someone who mistreated women during his tenure at ESPN or why he was let go by the network.”
In another incident, an ESPN employee said Fitting responded to her request to meet regarding career opportunities by asking if he should get a hotel for the night, which she perceived as him asking if he should get a room for the two of them. Via a spokesperson, Fitting said that he was asking whether he should get a conference room for the meeting and that the woman had misinterpreted his question.
Other allegations include Fitting texting an ESPN employee “you look hot” and him insisting that an on-air talent wear her hair in a ponytail before telling her, “put your hair up in a ponytail before I do it for you,” which he denied.
Overall, the report paints the portrait of an atmosphere in which colleagues appeared to largely be aware of Fitting’s alleged crude behavior, but were too afraid to report it due to his power and influence at the network. Five months following his departure from ESPN, Fitting joined WWE as the pro wrestling giant’s head of media & production, where he has earned rave reviews for his role in overhauling the company’s presentation.