Bill Simmons had a rollercoaster 14 years at ESPN, but it's been nearly a decade since leaving the network and he appears to look back fondly at his time there.
Simmons spoke on the "SI Media" podcast with Jimmy Traina on Oct. 19 where he was asked about his time at ESPN, and The Ringer founder said he was "super proud" of his time there.
"I was there for 14 years, and I feel like I elevated that place in just a slew of ways. I don't think that's bragging. I look back at the ESPN experience and I'm like, 'I f****** killed it for those guys. There's no question and that's it," Simmons said.
He added that he believes that his time there was mutually beneficial for him and The Walt Disney Company (DIS) -) sports network.
"I don't have bad blood at ESPN. I look at that as: that place elevated me, and I elevated them," Simmons said.
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Simmons, who is also the head of global sports content for Spotify, mentioned how he created several things for the network including the network's famous "30 for 30" documentary series and the now-defunct sports and culture website "Grantland."
Despite the successes, Simmons also had a tumultuous time at ESPN including being suspended by the company twice from Twitter (as it was known at the time). The second time was the more notable moment because Simmons was suspended for criticizing the on-air incident between then-host Skip Bayless and NFL star Richard Sherman on "First Take."
Simmons told Traina that he still believes he was "right" during that specific instance, and his actions were coming from a place that he thought would be beneficial for the company. But he's learned that news doesn't always travel in the way he intends.
"The way it got aggregated was instruction to me. But I still feel like I was right," Simmons said. "I really genuinely cared about elevating [ESPN] and if you look at the stuff especially from '09 to 2015 that I did, I was trying to make that place great."
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Simmons also received a three-week suspension in 2014 for calling NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a "liar" on ESPN airwaves. Speaking with Traina, Simmons said he doesn't regret what he did, but he knows there could have been a better way to do it without stirring the same type of ruckus.
"I don't regret what I said about Goodell," Simmons said. "We could have made like two small edits that would have made it just as impactful and not turn it into a me vs. ESPN story because I thought what I was saying about Goodell was really important. I also had all these Grantland people that I really cared about. And I think that was the piece that, from the minute it started going, that was what bothered me ... I was right about Goodell, but should I have gone as far as I should've? I don't know."
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