Skip Bayless sparked backlash after accusing Tyrese Haliburton of faking a calf injury before tearing his Achilles tendon in the Game 7 matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. The claim that Haliburton used an injury as an excuse generated widespread criticism, highlighting one of Bayless’s most controversial moments in his lengthy media career. This Tyrese Haliburton injury controversy caught the attention of fellow sports commentator Doug Gottlieb, who expressed deep frustration with Bayless’s approach to the situation.
Doug Gottlieb Reflects on Bayless’s History of Controversial Takes
Doug Gottlieb, host of The Doug Gottlieb Show on Fox Sports Radio, drew on years of personal experience with Skip Bayless to explain why Bayless’s post was unsurprising yet still embarrassing. Gottlieb and Bayless worked together at ESPN and again at Fox Sports, where their tension was well-known. Gottlieb described his reaction as he watched the game and saw Haliburton go down before encountering Bayless’s tweet on the injury.
So I’m watching the game and I see Tyrese Haliburton go down. Skip Bayless tweeted, ‘The Pacers brilliantly took the big-game pressure off Haliburton, who routinely no-shows, by planting the injury excuse that the media swallowed whole.’ So, it’s on Twitter, and all of the sudden, Tyrese Halliburton goes down with a torn Achilles tendon. Obviously, shortly there after, Skip started to tweet his way out of it. But it’s embarrassing. He basically said he wasn’t hurt, he just wasn’t playing well. And it was an injury excuse.
—Doug Gottlieb, Fox Sports Radio Host
Gottlieb Shares Personal Regret Over Working with Bayless
Gottlieb revealed a significant regret from his own career involving Bayless. When returning to Fox Sports 1 in 2017, Gottlieb felt compelled to seek Bayless’s approval due to Bayless’s considerable influence at the network. This strained professional relationship marked a difficult period for Gottlieb, who was under contract with CBS at the time but wanted to transition back to California to work in Fox Sports television.
Gottlieb explained how Bayless controlled much of the environment around his show, Undisputed, requiring Gottlieb to “kiss the ring” in order to be integrated into Fox Sports 1 programming. This phrase described the uncomfortable process of trying to win over Bayless’s favor despite mutual animosity rooted in their previous on-air confrontations.
What does that look like? I had to send him couple of texts, set up a phone call. I didn’t gravel, but I didn’t feel good about it. That goes back to, Skip didn’t like me. And he didn’t like me because I was on, back when it was 1st and 10, and I would be on opposite of him. And he would say ridiculous sh*t. And I would called him on his ridiculous sh*t. Not to the point that Jalen Rose did. Or what Ryen Russillo did. But Ryen and Jalen didn’t want to work at Fox Sports at the time. So they weren’t going to grovel and kiss the ring. I kissed the ring. And I f*cking hate myself for it.
—Doug Gottlieb, Fox Sports Radio Host
Timing Error Makes Bayless’s Criticism Look Worse
Adding to the controversy surrounding Bayless’s tweet, Gottlieb later corrected his own memory of when the tweet was posted. Bayless made his statement at 8:19 p.m. EST, only minutes before Haliburton injured his Achilles tendon, not well before the game tip-off as initially believed. This mistiming amplifies the appearance that Bayless irresponsibly judged the player‘s injury status without full information, worsening the public perception of his commentary during the Tyrese Haliburton injury controversy.
The Broader Implications of Bayless’s Approach to Player Injuries
Across his career, Skip Bayless has often drawn criticism for controversial and sometimes inflammatory opinions. This latest episode with Haliburton reinforces a pattern in which Bayless prioritizes contentious takes over cautious or respectful commentary, especially regarding player health. For viewers and analysts, this incident underscores the risk of downplaying legitimate sports injuries and the consequences such statements can have on a commentator’s credibility.
Doug Gottlieb’s frank denunciation of Bayless’s behavior reflects deeper tensions in sports media surrounding professionalism and respect for athletes. As particularly sensitive injury stories continue to emerge, commentators will likely face increased scrutiny about how they address these issues in public forums. Bayless’s response to this Tyrese Haliburton injury controversy may well influence how other media figures calibrate their opinions and the boundaries they observe when discussing player health in the future.