ESPN President John Skipper resigns to deal with substance addiction
President of Walt Disney Co.-owned ESPN, John Skipper, said on Monday that he is resigning from the network. "I have struggled for many years with a substance addiction. I have decided that the most important thing I can do right now is to take care of my problem," Skipper said in a statement. "I have disclosed that decision to the company, and we mutually agreed that it was appropriate that I resign. As I deal with this issue and what it means to me and my family, I ask for appropriate privacy and a little understanding." Skipper, 61, started at ESPN in 1997 as the company's general manager of ESPN The Magazine. He was tapped to head the network in 2012. His resignation comes at a rocky time for ESPN as it struggles to contend with declining viewership, which have led to layoffs, and as it maneuvers covering sports in an intensified socially and politically-charged environment. George Bodenheimer, who was ESPN's president before Skipper, will serve as the network's acting chair for 90 days, as ESPN leadership looks for Skipper's replacement. Shares of ESPN owner Disney have gained 7% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 index is up more than 20% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has gained nearly 25%
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