ESPN was caught between a bit of a rock and a hard place on Thursday while discussing the NBA gambling scandal.
“Get Up” anchor Mike Greenberg was discussing the arrests of Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. He noted that, until recently, sports gambling “was something that networks like ESPN would stay far away from” before acknowledging, “Those days are obviously long behind us.”
Ironically, Greenberg made his point just as a chyron reading “Bet $10, Get $100” for ESPN Bet, the network’s gambling venture, appeared at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
That is, until the promo disappeared without warning at the 24-second mark of the segment.
ESPN declined to comment about the chyron, but the juxtaposition between the sports network covering a hard news story involving gambling while also trying to push its own sports betting business was just too ironic for many people.
One observer noted the chyron only disappeared when the “Get Up” hosts were discussing the NBA scandal, and was there for the vast majority of the episode.
And, yes, there was mockery.
ESPN has faced other issues while covering the gambling scandal.
After commentator Stephen A. Smith claimed the arrests happened because President Donald Trump is out to get the NBA, FBI Director Kash Patel called the statement “the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard out of anyone in modern history.”