Doug Gottlieb slams Skip Bayless over Damar Hamlin tweet fallout

Doug Gottlieb is “calling bulls–t” on Skip Bayless.
Fox Sports Radio host Doug Gottlieb went on a lengthy rant Wednesday against the controversial Bayless on the bonus podcast portion of his show — and he didn’t spare Shannon Sharpe, either. Gottlieb theorized exactly how and why Bayless handled the backlash from the Hamlin tweet.
“No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game – but how?” Bayless tweeted as medical personnel tended to Hamlin. “This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant.”
Many in the sports world called for Bayless to be axed from Fox Sports and Sharpe, his “Undisputed” co-host, no-showed the following day. Sharpe returned on Wednesday and said he hoped Bayless would delete the tweet, leading to an awkward exchange. Bayless doubled down, saying he had no plans to do so and insisting no one at Fox Sports had an issue with the social media post.
Doug Gottlieb at the 21st Annual Harold and Carole Pump Foundation Gala in Aug. 2021. Getty Images for Harold and Caro
“That part to it is crazy,” Gottlieb, a former Oklahoma State basketball player, said. “In what world does he think no one had a problem with it when the person sitting across the desk from him clearly had a problem with it. I would point out that Shannon is wrong for missing the show [Tuesday].
“The part about this job is on days when things are uncomfortable to talk about — when your brother lay paralyzed, his brother Sterling was a great player — those are the times we want to hear from your most. Sorry. These are times I might lack some empathy … But [with] Skip, again, there is no reading of the room.”
Gottlieb, 46, said he previously took issue with Bayless’ stance that the Warriors were better without Kevin Durant, after the star forward left for the Nets in 2019. Gottlieb claimed was asked to pull down a video that featured a picture of Bayless.
“I’ve reached the ‘I don’t give a f–k moment’ of my time here at Fox Sports,” Gottlieb said.
Fox Sports Radio is separate from Fox Sports and is licensed by iHeart Radio. Gottlieb noted he had “zero relationship” with Bayless outside of a couple of basketball-related texts.
Gottlieb went onto speculate that Bayless’ decision to “do a 180” on his LeBron James opinion on Tuesday’s show — praising the Lakers star he has bashed for years — was his way of responding to the alleged internal criticism of the Hamlin tweet.
“This is me calling bulls–t on the ‘no one had a problem [with the tweet],’ Gottlieb said. “Are you f–king kidding me? You went on TV and did a 180 on LeBron James and want to act like no one was affected. Dude, I was born at night. Not last night.
Skip Bayless GC Images
“Get the f–k out of here. But it’s equally bulls–t for Shannon to not do the show. That’s your job. … I don’t know whether to be embarrassed, appalled or simply chuckle because that’s what you get when you leave guys to their own devices and you offer no kind of leadership on what they can and can’t do.”
After the initial tense exchange between Bayless and Sharpe on Wednesday, the two have done the debate show as normal.