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The folks at Deadspin have done a great job extensively covering Bill Simmons' firing from ESPN. It's a fascinating story, and while you can hold whatever opinion on Simmons you like, his rise to stardom is a big reason blogs like this one even exist in their current form.
So what led to his dismissal from the worldwide leader and why are we covering it here?
Because it was a quote he lifted from Mick Foley during a radio appearance with Dan Patrick that did him in. It wasn't the only reason, but it was apparently the straw that broke the camel's back.
Here's the transcription of his comments (via Deadspin), and you'll know the quote as soon as you see it:
"I think it's pathetic. Roger Goodell has handled so many things so poorly that it's reached a point now where you have something like this, where it's taken four months to release the report, and he knew everything that was in it. He knows the results before the report is released to the public, and yet doesn't have the testicular fortitude to do anything about it until he gauges the public reaction."
Which led to:
"Lack of testicular fortitude," (On Godell) via @dpshow -- This was tipping point for @BillSimmons future with @espn
— James Andrew Miller (@JimMiller) May 8, 2015
Foley heard about all this and responded as such:
.@Deadspin - how did my @WWE #TesticularFortitude catch-phrase get @BillSimmons fired from @ESPN? Sorry about that, Bill!
— Mick Foley (@realmickfoley) May 9, 2015
Simmons was recently a guest commentator on Monday Night Raw, and WWE has jumped on the news:
Just heard @BillSimmons is leaving @ESPN. He did a good job on @WWE #RAW.Maybe he's got a future ringside? pic.twitter.com/Q4yyAH4b94
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) May 8, 2015
Hey @ESPN, if you need some help with @Grantland33 with Bill Simmons leaving, I live 20 minutes away and still work for @WWE.com too ;)
— Joey Styles (@JoeyStyles) May 8, 2015
This will be the second high profile name WWE has lost at ESPN in the past week. Simmons will surely land on his feet elsewhere, however, and maybe even end up making his way back onto a WWE program. Stranger things have happened.