ESPN Host Chris Berman Reportedly Left Racist Voicemail for Jemele Hill

A former ESPN employee’s discrimination lawsuit against ESPN includes a shocking claim that broadcaster Chris Berman left a racist voicemail for former ESPN journalist Jemele Hill.

Adrienne Lawrence filed the lawsuit this weekend. She accuses SportsCenter anchor John Buccigross of sexual harassment, and says ESPN is a hostile work environment for women.

According to Deadspin, Lawrence claims Hill received a “threatening and racially disparaging voicemail” from Berman. The lawsuit claims Hill then forwarded the voicemail to executive Marcia Keegan, a senior human resources director and a producer on the show His & Hers, but “nothing was done.”

“Despite his continued and repeated misconduct toward women, Berman remains a celebrated and welcome ESPN employee,” the lawsuit reads.

Deadspin points out that the lawsuit does not explain how Lawrence learned about the voicemail. Hill has not commented or tweeted about the lawsuit.

Lawrence’s discrimination allegations against ESPN came to light on Dec. 14, when The Boston Globe published a report on sexual discrimination and her complaint to the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. She accused Buccigross of texting her unsolicited shirtless photos and calling her “dollface,” “dreamgirl” and “long legs” in 2016. At one point, Lawrence replied, “You need to wear clothes, sir.”

She also complained about rumors she was in a relationship with Buccigross to her superiors, but a supervisor told her to drop it. She said she was denied a permanent position, while another male colleague got a job offer.

“I considered Adrienne to be a friend,” Buccigross told the Globe in December. “I’m sorry if anything I did or said offended Adrienne. It certainly wasn’t my intent.”

Lawrence filed a lawsuit over the weekend, repeating many of the claims detailed in her complaint, reports Deadspin. In the lawsuit and complaint, Lawrence claims female employees were “marked” and “groomed” by male colleagues.

ESPN told the Globe in December it completed a “thorough investigation,” which found Lawrence’s claims to be “entirely without merit.”

“We work hard to maintain a respectful and inclusive culture at ESPN,” Katina Arnold, an ESPN spokeswoman, told the Globe. “It is always a work in progress, but we’re proud of the significant progress we’ve made in developing and placing women in key roles at the company in the boardroom, in leadership positions throughout ESPN, and on air.”

Hill left SportsCenter and is now the senior correspondent and columnist for ESPN’s TheUndefeated.com.