[Amin Elhassan] I wouldn't have been on The Jump if it weren't for Rachel Nichols & I know the same is true for T-Mac & Stak. When they tried to get funnystyle w/ my contract, she stood up for me & made sure I was treated right. She’s been an ally (not just to me) in public & behind closed doors.

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I wouldnt have been on The Jump if it werent for @Rachel__Nichols & I know the same is true for T-Mac & Stak. When they tried to get funnystyle w/ my contract, she stood up for me & made sure I was treated right. She’s been an ally (not just to me) in public & behind closed doors

Pls note this isnt a dismissal of Maria or her feelings. She’s great & deserving of everything she accomplished in her career..but the convo that needs to occur is why is there a Highlander “There Can Only Be One” mentality when it comes to women & high profile positions at ESPN

Context

Rachel Nichols is facing criticism over comments she reportedly made about diversity at ESPN.

In a leaked recording obtained by the New York Times, Nichols can be heard saying coworker Maria Taylor got a gig at the NBA Finals because ESPN was “feeling pressure” about its “crappy longtime record on diversity.”

“I wish Maria Taylor all the success in the world — she covers football, she covers basketball,” the host of The Jump said last July in the audio. “If you need to give her more things to do because you are feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity — which, by the way, I know personally from the female side of it — like, go for it. Just find it somewhere else. You are not going to find it from me or taking my thing away.”

The audio was reportedly recorded on an ESPN camera she left on, which kept her conversation with advisor Adam Mendelsohn and uploaded it to ESPN’s servers. After making rounds internally, the clip was shared with the Times.