ESPN commentator and Grantland founder Bill Simmons was suspended by the network for three weeks on Wednesday for a rant against NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. On a podcast on Grantland, which ESPN owns, Simmons lit into the executive, declaring, “I just think not enough is being made out of the fact that they knew about the tape and they knew what was on it. Goodell, if he didn’t know what was on that tape, he’s a liar. I’m just saying it. He is lying. I think that dude is lying. If you put him up on a lie-detector test that guy would fail.” He also said he was “insulted” and challenged ESPN to “leave me alone… on my podcast.” ESPN said that Simmons did not meet its journalistic standards. In July, the network suspended Stephen A. Smith for suggesting Janay Palmer provoked Ray Rice’s attack on her.
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