Dana White’s Gina Carano Comment Pulls ESPN Statement About Ariel Helwani

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Less than a week after Disney fired actress and former mixed martial arts star Gina Carano for social media posts widely regarded as anti-Semitic, a Disney partner company embroiled the company in a spinoff controversy.

During a media availability for UFC 258 on Friday, UFC President Dana White, whose promotion airs on Disney-owned ESPN properties, was asked about Carano’s situation.

White took the opportunity to snap a spontaneous photo of a Jewish-descent ESPN employee he had a quarrel with, Ariel Helwani.

“Leave Gina alone,” White said. “Listen, we make mistakes. We all make mistakes. Let everyone agree on her – I love how Ariel Helwani did everything for him. It was all for him. Such bullshit.

After a weekend in which several of Helwani’s most prominent colleagues at ESPN tweeted in support of their colleague while the company was silent, ESPN released its first public comment on the situation on Monday.

“Ariel is a valued colleague and an exceptional MMA reporter. His track record speaks for itself, ”ESPN told The New York Post.

Helwani posted an article on the issue on social media over the weekend.

“As a Jewish person, and as a human being, things are not going well,” Helwani’s message says in part. “And I wish she had never published that. And quite frankly, I wish someone had told him about his social media posts over the past year. Some of them are not even political. Just generally they felt offended for me. I’m sorry she took this route.

White, who has been silent about his previous vocal support for former President Donald Trump since the insurgency on Capitol Hill on Jan.6, has viewed Helwani as an enemy for years.

Their most publicized dusting took place at UFC 199 in Inglewood, Calif., In June 2016. White was angry with Helwani, then employed by Vox Media, for reporting on Brock Lesnar’s planned return to the company. before he can reveal the news on his own during the broadcast. The UFC responded by revoking the credentials of Helwani, as well as those of its film crew members E. Casey Leydon and Esther Lin, halfway through. The trio’s credentials were restored days later after a backlash from the public.

The list of Current and former ESPN employees who spoke out before the company released its statement include Sarah Spain, Pablo Torres, Kenny Mayne and Dan LeBatard.



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