Former College GameDay Leader Accused Of 'Objectifying Women'

ESPN's College GameDay is one of the network's flagship shows.

For nearly 30 years, fans have tuned into the program to start their Saturday morning as the crew comes from some of the best college towns in the nation. GameDay is now a part of the college football tradition each year, as schools hope to see their name as the next team on the list.

For all of the good that College GameDay has done for the game, accusations against a former show leader are showing a darker side.

Former ESPN executive Lee Fitting left the company just before the beginning of the 2023 college football season. His departure was later explained by the scandal surrounding fake names being used to gain extra Sports Emmy awards, but there are new allegations surrounding his tenure with the company.

According to The Athletic, Fitting has been accused of “comments objectifying women, criticizing their physical appearance and making crude jokes, some sexual in nature, in the workplace."

ESPN opened an HR investigation into Fitting shortly before he left the network, following up on a complaint made in 2023.

“Multiple people said they described to an HR official instances in which they believed Fitting engaged in inappropriate conduct and/or discriminated against women,” the report said.

“Two current ESPN executives briefed about the result of the HR investigation said the findings gave the company little choice but to let Fitting go.”