After the Emmy presenters discovered a plot in which some network employees used false identities to get around eligibility requirements, ESPN has returned more than thirty Emmy statuettes. According to the network, the ruse was “a misguided attempt” to honor on-air talent who wasn’t qualified for a particular category.
The real names of the on-air personalities were purportedly re-engraved on the awards that were won. The sports network has apologized. The Athletic, a sports publication, published an article on Thursday that revealed the first details of the ruse.
The National Academy for Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), the organization behind the Emmys, told The Athletic that it had “identified a number of fictitious credits submitted by ESPN to multiple Sports Emmys competitions.” NATAS then notified ESPN’s senior management of this finding, who has since apologized and reprimanded those who were responsible.
The Athletic’s report centered around ESPN’s “College GameDay” program, which captured eight Emmys for Outstanding Weekly Studio Show between 2008 and 2018. Until 2023, that category prohibited submissions from on-air talent in an effort to avoid duplicate wins for a single game.
Instead, on-air personalities could enter other categories, such as Emerging On-Air Talent or Outstanding Host. According to reports, the network entered entries with fictitious names credited for the show in an attempt to get awards for their on-air talent.
With slightly different initials, the fictitious names resembled those of the on-air personalities. There isn’t any proof that the on-air personalities knew about the ploy or the submissions. ESPN spokesperson Julie McKay told the BBC that the ruse involved award submissions that might have been made as early as 1997.
Ms McKay said the network has brought in outside counsel to conduct “a full and thorough investigation.” She also mentioned that ESPN had disciplined the responsible parties.
In addition to requiring the return of the statuettes, NATAS announced that the senior leadership of “College GameDay” will not be eligible for awards for a period of one year.
ESPN apologizes for Fake Name Scam
ESPN has expressed regret to the body that oversees the Sports Emmy Awards for entering fictitious entries in categories in which they had no right to win.
The network said in a statement on Thursday that “some members of our team were clearly wrong in submitting certain names that may date back to 1997 in Emmy categories where they were not eligible for recognition or statuettes.”
First exposed by The Athletic, the Emmy scam involved ESPN personalities such as Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, and Desmond Howard on “College GameDay,” receiving awards to which they had no right. The report stated that there was no proof any of the on-air winners knew what had transpired.
Following an investigation by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), the organization that oversees the Sports Emmy Awards, ESPN conducted its own investigation after learning of the fraud. “This was a misguided attempt to recognize on-air individuals who were important members of our production team,” ESPN stated in a statement.
According to the Athletic report, on-air talent was not permitted to be listed alongside those who received credit for the outstanding weekly studio show Emmy category. Individual awards were permitted for the show’s hosts, analysts, and reporters, but they were not allowed to “double dip,” as the Academy refers to it.
In order to appear on credit lists as associate producers, fictitious names with the same initials as on-air hosts and reporters, such as Kirk Henry (Kirk Herbstreit), Lee Clark (Lee Corso), and Dirk Howard (Desmond Howard), were submitted.
A number of phony names appeared on the credit lists for the years “College GameDay” won best weekly show (2010–11, 2014–18), according to a review by The Athletic.
The Athletic reported that while the identity of the fraudster remained unknown, three ESPN employees were declared ineligible by NATAS to compete in the Emmy Awards in the future: Drew Gallagher, coordinating producer of “College GameDay,” senior vice-president of production Lee Fitting, who oversaw “College GameDay” and other properties, and vice-president and executive producer of original content and features Craig Lazarus.
The Academy said in a statement that it discovered multiple phony credits that ESPN had submitted to various Sports Emmy contests. “The network took steps to take responsibility for the actions of its personnel, to investigate thoroughly, and to course correct” as soon as senior management at ESPN was informed.
According to the academy, one of these actions was returning statuettes that had been given to imaginary people. After learning about the scam, ESPN hired outside counsel to conduct a thorough investigation. “ESP disciplined those found to be responsible,” the statement from the network stated.
