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ESPN Doesn’t Stick to Sports, Provides Full Coverage of Derek Chauvin Verdict: TRAINA THOUGHTS

1. When the news broke late Tuesday afternoon that former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, ESPN made a surprising decision.

The network shelved its regular sports programming and went with full SportsCenter coverage of the verdict from about 5 p.m. ET until 7:30 p.m. ET, when it had to air a Mets-Cubs game.

Sports Illustrated reached out to ESPN to ask about the network’s decision to cover the event in such a big way.