ESPN host Kirk Herbstreit said he has never been told by his employers at ESPN what he can or can't say on the network.
Herbstreit is a top analyst for ESPN's “College GameDay” and has recently spoken out against men competing against women in sports.
He called the idea absurd and said he was done being “silent” on certain subjects.
“No one has ever said to me, 'Be careful,' or 'You shouldn't say that,'” she said.
Herbstreit is Episode 510 On the Sports Illustrated podcast “SI Media with Jimmy Traina,” he was asked if the network ever gives him feedback on what he says.
“This is my 29th year,” Herbstreit began, “and I can say with 1,000 percent certainty that I've never had a producer tell me what to say in my life or say, 'SEC, you fake it,'” he said.
The host then addressed whether any of his comments have led to disciplinary action from ESPN, possibly including his recent comments about transgender athletes.
“That has never happened to me. After 29 years, I have never been told, 'Be careful,' or 'You shouldn't say that.' Maybe other people have. I have never had that happen to me in my career.”
“I'm an introvert, but when you push my buttons, it lights a fuse.”
Herbstreit sparked controversy when a fan online asked him whether men should play women's sports.
He responded: “Of course not. That's a stupid question.”
Outkick's Dan Dakich subsequently confronted Herbstreit about the incident, claiming that Herbstreit must have known that answering fans' questions would spark a heated debate.
“I just didn't care. I don't care at all. I don't care at all about anything anymore,” the 54-year-old said.
“It's almost like there's two different rules and if you're a little more traditionally minded and you know I'm a Christian, then there's a different rule from that standpoint. It's hard to turn the cheek over and over again, so yeah, I didn't really care and I still don't really care,” Herbstreit added.
Traina, the Sports Illustrated host, asked Herbstreit if ESPN was interfering with his social media posts, noting that ESPN recently fired hosts Sam Ponder and Robert Griffin III, who are vocal voices on its social channels.
“Some people are saying ESPN is anti-religion or against people who speak out,” the host speculated.
Herbstreit later reflected on his interview with Dakich, saying:
“I got a little caught up in what happened last week. [when] I was talking to Dan [Dakich]”
“I'm an introvert, but someone can push my buttons, light a fuse, and get me excited about the things I'm passionate about,” Herbstreit continued.
The college football host later appeared to soften his reasons for the comments, saying he was frustrated by the division in the country.
“I think the reason I say I don't care is because I'm so frustrated that our country is so divided and we don't like each other and people aren't getting along and we're attacking each other. And there are people in the college football world who are making up conspiracy theories that aren't true and attacking me.”
ESPN's recent firing, at least in the case of Ponder, was a response to her religious views and comment ESPN said it took the step of removing men from women's sports as part of budget cuts.
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