Jason Whitlock was replaced Friday as the head of the Undefeated, ESPN’s website about the intersection of race and sports, just weeks before its planned launch.
He will be replaced on an interim basis by Leon Carter, the site’s editorial director.
The site was built largely around Whitlock, who has written about race for years. Recently, he was lauded by John Skipper, the president of ESPN, for “being unafraid to take popular stands, to challenge the perceived wisdom of any community.” In a statement, ESPN declined to say if anything specific happened recently to prompt the shift, or if it was that he lacked the managerial skills to run the site.