Fired “SportsCenter” host Max McGee offered his side of the story for the first time on ESPN dismissing him in 2024 after an investigation following a complaint reportedly filed by a female employee.
“People have asked me ever since what happened. The honest answer is that I can only tell you what I know,” Jones said in a video posted to Instagram.
“I was never provided the specific details of the complaint that ultimately led to that decision. I asked questions, I looked for answers and I left that process with more uncertainty than clarity.”
Jones worked for ESPN from 2022-2024 after leaving a CBS affiliate in Baltimore, calling his position with the Worldwide Leader a “dream job” in the video.
The Athletic reported in 2024 that ESPN had “let go” of Jones in February of that year “after the company received a complaint about him from a female employee, according to ESPN sources.”
That detail came within a longer feature about Lee Fitting’s exit stemming from his lewd behavior.
McGee told the outlet at the time he had been advised not to comment, and an ESPN spokesperson reportedly did not respond to inquiries about the topic.
In his new video, McGee said he held off on commenting on the situation since he did not know what he was “allowed to say.”
He said he’s “mostly” stayed quiet over the last two-plus years because “I was trying to do what I thought was the right thing.”
“What made it difficult was this wasn’t just a job, this was something I spent years working toward,” McGee said. “Thousands of hours on television. … Suddenly, it was gone.”
McGee believes that others started telling his story, which led to him releasing the video.
He did not offer specifics on the investigation, but said he “disagreed” with the outcome.
McGee added that he became an Uber driver and moved back home in the aftermath.
“I still don’t fully understand all of the reasons behind it,” McGee said. “And that uncertainty has been one of the hardest parts of the last two years. Since then, I’ve lost so many opportunities. I’ve gone through interview after interview. … I’ve been angry, I’ve been embarrassed, I’ve been disappointed and I’ve wondered whether I would ever work in television again.”
McGee said this situation has taught him that sometimes you don’t always receive closure, but vowed that he will be heard from again.
“I’m still here,” McGee said. “I’m still creating, I’m still interviewing, I’m still betting on myself. You don’t have to agree with me. … This isn’t the end of my story. It’s just a chapter.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
