Following his inappropriate comments to Molly Qerim during an episode of First Take on Monday, Lavar Ball will be banned from appearing across ESPN’s many platforms.
“There will be no LaVar Ball on any ESPN platform heading forward — at least as of now. Asked if Ball will be used as an on-air guest, an on-the-record source for digital, or a background source for ESPN,” tweeted Richard Deitsch of The Athletic
Deitsch also reported an ESPN spokesperson told him the network has “no plans moving forward” to feature Ball.
All of this comes thanks to Ball telling Qerim she could “switch gears” with him “anytime.” While that may sound innocuous enough, in the context Ball said it there were definite sexual overtones.
LaVar shooting his shot at Molly Qerim during First Take interview? Jalen Rose gonna bust him up lol pic.twitter.com/HeIB9CFIxH
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) June 17, 2019
In the immediate aftermath of the comment, ESPN said it had informed Ball that his comment was “inappropriate.” Obviously, now that a few days have gone by, the network has decided to take a stronger stance on the issue.
Qerim previously said she was satisfied with ESPN’s initial response. “I’m satisfied. Yeah, 100 percent,” she said. “ESPN was really supportive, and I appreciate that all the executives had my back. So, much appreciated.”
Now that Ball is gone for the foreseeable future, Qerim should feel even better about her employers.
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