Hot takes are what Skip Bayless does. They may not be popular with everyone, but there is nothing irresponsible about them. The FS1 host dropping private information about Jimmy Butler’s family on an episode of Undisputed is totally different though and crosses a line according to The Dan Le Batard Show crew.
On Monday, Bayless made reference to a health issue in the Butler family to explain Jimmy Butler’s poor shooting performance.
Le Batard, on Tuesday, said it was irresponsible and an invasion of Jimmy Butler’s privacy.
Producer Mike Ryan added that the story was well-known by people that cover the Miami Heat. It had not been reported out of respect for the family.
“I was really surprised that, number one, Skip Bayless had the sources to know what was going on because it’s deeply personal,” he said. “Number two, they went to air with it.”
Stugotz took a bit of a different view. He did not excuse Skip Bayless for revealing the private information. He just did not share the shock his colleagues had.
“I mean, him knowing is one thing and maybe I should be surprised by that,” Stugotz said. “Him using it on the air and unveiling it to the world? We should not be surprised. I’m not saying ‘He’s Skip. No one else is Skip!’ like he’s great. That’s what Skip does.”
Le Batard pushed back saying Skip Bayless may try to shock his audience for ratings, but that is very different than breaching someone’s privacy.
“Dan if there was a media member who would have released that information, and I gave you one guess, who are you guessing?” Stugotz responded.
Show contributor Greg Cote did not mince words. As a journalist, he said that there is no justifying what Bayless did.
“It’s a disservice to journalism to invade someone’s privacy like that. Jimmy Butler deserves to deal with personal issues personally and privately, and to put that out there in the middle of the Finals to try to explain why he’s had a couple of shooting games in a row is irresponsible.”
