Reaction to Skip Bayless' comments on Dak Prescott's mental health has been overwhelmingly negativeGETTY IMAGES
FS1's Skip Bayless on Friday addressed the fallout from apparently criticizing Cowboys QB Dak Prescott for admitting he has struggled with depression, with Bayless saying he has "great compassion for anyone suffering clinical depression." Bayless: "What I am told was misconstrued by many, the only Dak depression I addressed on yesterday’s show was from an interview he taped with Graham Bensinger. Dak said that depression happened soon after the pandemic hit, early in the quarantine. I said yesterday that if Dak needed help for pandemic depression, he should have sought counseling then” (“Undisputed,” FS1, 9/11). USA TODAY's Steve Gardner notes Fox on Thursday released a statement expressing its disagreement with Bayless' comments questioning Prescott's ability to be a team leader after going public with his battle with depression in the wake of his brother's suicide in April. The statement said, "We have addressed the significance of this matter with Skip and how his insensitive comments were received by people internally at FOX Sports and our audience." Prescott on Thursday did not directly address Bayless' comments, though he said that "good leaders don't always have to appear tough." Social media reaction to Bayless' remarks was "overwhelmingly negative" (USA TODAY, 9/11).
RIGHT ON BRAND: CBS’ Gayle King asked, “What is wrong with Skip Bayless? That is so mean.” CBS’ Tony Dokoupil: “He’s in the business of being outrageous” ("CBS This Morning," 9/11). ABC’s Michael Strahan noted Bayless' comments come from someone "who likes to shock people" ("GMA," ABC, 9/11). ESPN's Dan Le Batard said Bayless was once a “very good writer on football," though he "got distorted by television." Calling him a "cartoon monster," Le Batard said, "Skip Bayless is very good at what it is that he did yesterday, which is getting attention for Skip Bayless by just basically doing the lowest-common-denominator thing. We’re at the point right now where it pays -- not just in sports, but all over television -- there’s a lane to be the professional awful person." Le Batard notes Bayless “hasn’t even apologized, there’s just a clarification” by him (“The Dan Le Batard Show,” ESPN Radio, 9/11).
GOING TOO FAR THIS TIME: USA TODAY's Nancy Armour wrote, "If someone were to take issue with every one of Skip Bayless’ dumb or ill-formed opinions, there wouldn’t be time left for anything else." Sometimes, however, what he says is "too ignorant and offensive -- too dangerous -- to be ignored." Armour: "Bayless gets paid a lot of money by Fox Sports to say outlandish things and stir controversy. But his comments Thursday went beyond that. They were insulting and irresponsible, and they crossed a line" (USA TODAY, 9/11). SI.com's Jimmy Traina writes Bayless "has long been a clown with no credibility," but that is "what Fox Sports is paying him for." Traina: "They're not paying to break down sports, they're not paying him to analyze sports and they're not paying him to talk sports. They are paying him to get attention -- any kind of attention" (SI.com, 9/11). WFAN’s Gregg Giannotti said, “At some point, we have to stop giving credibility to someone who is this ridiculous.” Giannotti asked of Fox execs, "Are they enjoying the fact that show, which doesn’t get a ton of attention outside of crazy things like this, is getting attention or not?” (“Boomer & Gio,” WFAN, 9/11).
