A report from New York Times and The Athletic has revealed that Lee Fitting, currently employed by WWE as its head of media & production, was fired by ESPN after being accused of years of misconduct behind the scenes.
Fitting, who was hired by WWE in January, had been with ESPN for over 25 years when he was fired by the company in August 2023.
The report notes that the misconduct in question included both sexually suggestive comments and objectifying comments toward women, with a complain made to ESPN’s human resources department leading to a further investigation that resulted in the firing:
Multiple people said they described to an HR official instances in which they believed Fitting engaged in inappropriate conduct and/or discriminated against women. 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.
Fitting has denied some of the allegations to the media outlet through a spokesperson, also declining to “comment on the broader characterization of him as someone who mistreated women during his tenure at ESPN.”
WWE did not provide a comment to the outlet for the story.
Kendra Barkoff-Lamy, the spokesperson for Janel Grant, released a statement on the report in light of the ongoing lawsuit filed against WWE and former executives Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis.
How can WWE claim they are committed to improving the company’s culture, and at the same time, hire a man earlier this year who was accused of sexual misconduct and workplace harassment in his previous role? The allegations against Lee Fitting during his time at ESPN are extremely concerning. Revelations like this are why Janel Grant’s lawyers sent a letter to WWE and Endeavor, urging them to release all current and former employees from their NDAs. The same old boys club who enabled Janel Grant’s abuse are continuing to put alleged predators in leadership roles, and this pattern must change once and for all.
Source: F4WOnline