WWE's Lee Fitting Accused Of Misconduct Towards Women While Overseeing ESPN College GameDay

WWE Head of Media and Production Lee Fitting has been accused of misconduct during his time with ESPN in a new report from The Athletic.

The Athletic spoke to over 20 women who worked on College GameDay while Fitting oversaw the show and Fitting has been accused of making comments that objectified women, criticising their physical appearance, and making crude jokes of a sexual nature in the workplace. Fitting's conduct allegedly went unchecked at ESPN which had a "devastating effect on numerous women" as they believed they had to "endure or go along" with Fitting's conduct in order to remain employed or be promoted at ESPN. Some women ultimately left ESPN because of Fitting's alleged conduct.

Fitting, after first becoming an associate producer on College GameDay in 2000, became the man who oversaw the show in 2004. He remained in the role of Senior Vice President of Production until August 2023 when he suddenly departed ESPN.

One example of alleged inappropriate conduct was Fitting while watching the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 2012 from a conference room joked a woman who was not present would be good at performing oral sex. Fitting, via his spokesperson, denied the incident happened.

In another alleged incident when no chairs were available for a female member of staff at a production meeting in 2014, Fitting allegedly patted his lap and said, "I've got a seat right here for you." Fitting also denied this allegation.

A female ESPN employee claimed that in 2018 Fitting sent her a text message saying, "You look hot." The woman's hand was said to be shaking when she showed the message to a producer. On multiple occasions, Fitting also allegedly jokingly asked a female staff member for her hotel room number and often joked about performing bed checks, according to College GameDay employees. He also allegedly bragged about him and his wife having a robust sex life.

Another incident allegedly featured Fitting shouting "Goddamn!" when a woman appeared on set in a skirt that he liked. Inappropriate comments about women's clothing were so frequent that one female employee developed a strategy to mimic writing in a notebook and would say "Just jotting this down for the book" when Fitting would allegedly make an inappropriate remark.

Fitting also allegedly told some women who appeared on camera how to style their hair, what outfits he approved of, and how much makeup to wear. He also allegedly stated which parts of their body they should conceal on some occasions. This included one incident where a woman was directed to wear her hair in a ponytail. Fitting stated via his spokesperson that his job was to provide feedback to male and female on-air talent about their appearance and on-air delivery.

Boozy dinners and visiting local bars were also common near college campuses under Fitting and he was said to have brought a "frat boy sense of atmosphere all the time." Women who worked under Fitting on College GameDay allegedly felt pressured to go out for drinks and tolerate his inappropriate remarks over fear of being ostracised. Sometimes after Fitting would allegedly make a sexist remark, he would say "It's OK, she's one of the guys" in an attempt to justify why his comments were permissible.

In 2023, a complaint was made to human resources about Fitting which led to an HR inquiry. In July of last year, an HR official contacted some employees who had worked with Fitting and people who participated in the inquiry were asked questions like:

• Did you ever feel pressure to drink or socialise?
• Did you ever feel like you had to engage in flirtatious behaviour?
• Did you ever feel like you were passed over for an opportunity based on anything other than merit?
• Were inappropriate comments ever made about your appearance or your body?
• Were women ever pitted against each other in the workplace?

Two ESPN executives who were briefed about the result of the investigation stated the findings gave ESPN little choice but to let Fitting go. Fitting declined to comment on why his employment with ESPN was terminated.

ESPN issued the following statement: "ESPN is dedicated to maintaining the most inclusive, respectful and comfortable work environment for everyone. Our people are the most valuable resource at ESPN, and we ensure our commitment by providing year-round guidance, including extensive support and training. On top of that, we clearly communicate workplace expectations for all, while emphasizing care, sensitivity and accessibility in response to any employee needs."

A WWE spokesperson told The Athletic the company had no comment on the allegations against Fitting. Lee Fitting has been a part of WWE since January 2024 and he produces Raw and SmackDown in his role as WWE Head of Media and Production.