ESPN has issued an apology for a graphic that aired during the 2020 NFL draft about Cincinnati Bengals second-round pick Tee Higgins.
ESPN vice president of production Seth Markman released a statement about the graphic and said it “should not have aired,” according to Cindy Boren of the Washington Post:
“It was a mistake and we apologize for it. We want our draft coverage to personalize players and, where appropriate, acknowledge the obstacles they’ve had to overcome on their journey to the NFL. This graphic lacked proper context.”
Markman also said the following to NBC Sports’ Peter King about draft coverage:
“I heard [the criticism]. It’s not unfair. It’s something we should self-scout for the future. It’s something we can examine. We didn’t want to be Debbie Downer, but we wanted to show how some of the players overcame major issues in their lives. Maybe how Javon Kinlaw drew inspiration from growing up homeless, or a player overcoming a father’s suicide to achieve his dream.”
A “Get to Know” graphic after the Bengals made Higgins the first pick of Friday’s second round featured some information about the Clemson wideout’s mother, Camillia, that garnered widespread negative reaction.
To his credit, Higgins addressed the graphic with a positive message of his own.
