Skip Bayless Was Censoring Himself at ESPN — But That’s About to Change

May God have mercy on our souls.

Skip Bayless, whose sports takes on ESPN’s First Take are routinely hotter than the earth’s molten core, said in an interview on Monday that he held back his most searing opinions at the network because the higher ups were scared. But now that he’s about to start a new gig at Fox Sports, he’s going to take off the “handcuffs.”

Dear god.

“Too many people in charge at ESPN, for my taste, were a little too fearful,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a Disney network. There are just certain boundaries that you can’t even tiptoe along. Not that we won’t have boundaries at Fox, because we will. [But] they will trust me to go a little deeper. I can be completely honest on everything.”

Remarkable. The TV sports personality most known for asinine opinions is saying that his opinions are even more asinine than we thought. This is like Ronald McDonald saying his employer has been holding back his efforts to make kids fat.

Remember, Bayless is the guy who was certain Johnny Manziel was a number one pick. He also said he thought Peyton Manning choosing the Broncos was a “mind-numbing mistake.” This is the guy who thinks Tim Tebow belongs in Canton, and LeBron belongs in the NBDL. And that was him holding back!

Bayless, who was recently replaced on First Take by Max Kellerman, will host a Fox Sports 1 show that will air at the same time as ESPN’s flagship bullshit bullhorn. For his troubles, he’ll rake in $6 million a year. And how will he justify that salary? By saying crazier shit than we ever thought possible, of course.