ESPN suspends Bill Simmons for calling Goodell a liar and daring ESPN

After Simmons called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a liar on his podcast, and then dared anyone at ESPN to get him in trouble for it, the network has suspended the columnist for three weeks.

Simmons' comments came during a taping of his podcast, The B.S. Report, when the subject of Goodell's press conference regarding the Ray Rice suspension came up.

"If he didn't know what was on that tape, he's a liar. I'm just saying it. He is lying. I think that dude is lying. If you put him up on a lie detector test, that guy would fail. And for all these people to pretend they didn't know is such [bleeping bleep]. It really is, it's such [bleeping bleep]." For him to go into that press conference and pretend otherwise, I was so insulted."

After the rant, he dared ESPN to suspend him -- a dare his employers met.

"I really hope somebody calls me or emails me and says I'm in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell, because if one person says that to me, I'm going public. You leave me alone. ... Please, call me and say I'm in trouble, I dare you."

http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2014/09/bill_simmons_suspended_by_espn_day_after_rant_calling_roger_goodell_a_liar.html