Skip Bayless insists he 'left FS1' to escape TV handcuffs

For everyone who’s been begging and clamoring to get a more unfiltered Skip Bayless, today appears to be your lucky day.

Bayless left FS1 after nearly eight years last month, and his exit has largely been spun as a network decision, citing Undisputed’s ratings entering a tailspin in the wake of Shannon Sharpe’s exit. But on the latest episode of The Skip Bayless Show , the 72-year-old sports entertainer attempted to spin the departure as his choice, citing freedom of expression.

“The NFL season is about to start, along with my new life,” Bayless said. “I have waited a long time for this moment. I am finally free. Free to unleash in ways I never have. Free to give you every bit of me without boundaries or handcuffs or fear of suspension.

“I recently left FS1, an exit I had planned for several months because I wanted to do this. I wanted to be my own boss. To bet on myself. To break free from the TV networks I’ve worked for for 35 years. For 35 years, I’ve been told, ‘Don’t! Don’t! Don’t! Careful! Careful! Careful!’ I’ve tiptoed, sidestepped, pulled punches…No more bosses with huge egos and hidden agendas. No more games that have to be played behind closed network doors. Now I’m free to be one thousand percent me.”

Bayless has been one of the most well-known sports media personalities for decades, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a reader, viewer, or listener who felt bosses unfairly shackled him during his career.

On his podcast, however, Bayless gave the example that if he was still with FS1, he would have been prohibited from discussing the NFL placing restrictions on Tom Brady’s Fox broadcasting access. Bayless is right; FS1 would have prohibited him from discussing the Brady topic as they seemingly did with Colin Cowherd earlier this week. But in terms of network restrictions and potential things you can’t talk about, the NFL barring Brady from production meetings is probably low on the list.

But wait, there’s more. Bayless said his FS1 exit would also allow him to write a book about his last 20 years as a daily TV host; he’ll shop his “controversial” screenplay and develop “all sorts of other digital shows,” presumably one with Lil Wayne.

“I had memorable runs at ESPN and at Fox, but now I have a great new team around me, and am I ever about to unleash,” Bayless said.

There should be no shame in starting to lose some lure and fame at 72 years old, particularly after an impressive media career spanning nearly a half-century. But as sports fans seemingly want more fun and information, Bayless appears to be combatting that with more hot takes and intensity.

Maybe it will work. Maybe Bayless will be better off without the backing of Fox or ESPN. Perhaps he’ll find a sort of career renaissance as his own boss, and hopefully, that can be fulfilling for him. But it would be silly to fault FS1 or Fox for Bayless’s recent dip in prominence.

[ The Skip Bayless Show ]

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