Los Angeles, CA – ESPN has recently returned numerous Emmy Awards and taken disciplinary action against employees involved in a long-running scheme to acquire trophies for ineligible on-air personalities. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) and ESPN revealed that internal investigations conducted by both entities uncovered a practice where sports network employees submitted fake names for consideration, resulting in more than 30 additional trophies for personalities who were not qualified to receive them.
According to statements released on Thursday, ESPN employees had been attaching fictitious names to awards entries since at least 2010, and the scheme may date back to 1997. When ESPN secured an award, extra trophies were obtained, and these were later reengraved with the names of on-air talent who were not originally eligible.
NATAS, responsible for administering various Emmy awards, identified several false credits submitted by ESPN to multiple Sports Emmys competitions. In response to the discovery, ESPN took responsibility for the actions of its personnel, conducted a thorough investigation, and implemented corrective measures. The network returned statuettes issued to fictitious individuals and committed to further internal accountability and procedural changes.
Following NATAS’ investigation, ESPN also conducted its own inquiry, leading to disciplinary actions and the return of at least 37 trophies. While the masterminds behind the plan remain unknown, Craig Lazarus and Lee Fitting, ESPN executives, were among those banned from future Sports Emmys submissions.
The acclaimed show “College GameDay,” a significant contributor to ESPN’s success, garnered numerous Emmys for best weekly studio show from 2008 to 2018. However, NATAS guidelines prohibited on-air talent from being included in the credit list for that specific category until 2023. ESPN employees circumvented this rule by submitting fabricated names as “associate producers,” coincidentally sharing initials with on-air talent. Afterward, the fake names were removed from the trophies, and the real names of the talents were engraved. The trophies were then presented to ESPN’s on-camera stars, who claim they were unaware of any irregularities.
Acknowledging the wrongdoing, an ESPN spokesperson stated that certain team members had submitted names in violation of guidelines dating back to 1997. The spokesperson emphasized that this was a misguided attempt to recognize on-air individuals who played crucial roles in the production team. ESPN apologized to NATAS, collaborated to revamp the submission process, and expressed a commitment to preventing such incidents in the future.
