#Sen. Josh Hawley against ESPN suspending Adrian Wojnarowski

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) may have been the one to out ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski for sending him a profane email, but he apparently didn’t want the NBA insider to get suspended over it.

“@espn don’t suspend a reporter, ask tough question of @NBA about their pro-#China, anti-America bias. Star reporting for goodness sake,” Hawley wrote on Twitter Sunday.

The incident occurred after Hawley’s office sent out a news release about a letter he was sending NBA Commissioner Adam Silver regarding the league’s decision to limit the social injustice messages players can wear on their uniforms and the NBA’s complicated business relationship with China. Wojnarowski, who is one of ESPN’s most prominent reporters, evidently didn’t appreciate Hawley’s email blast, writing “F–k you’ in response. 

The senator then posted a screenshot on Friday of the email response from Wojnarowski, who later apologized for losing his temper. The Post’s Andrew Marchand reported that Wojnarowski was suspended for two weeks by ESPN without pay because of the email to Hawley.

“I was disrespectful and I made a regrettable mistake,” he wrote in a statement on Friday. “I am sorry for the way I handled myself and I am reaching out immediately to Senator Hawley to apologize directly,” he wrote. I also need to apologize to my ESPN colleagues because I know my actions were unacceptable and should not reflect on any of them.”

A number of NBA players have joined the push for ESPN to lift the suspension, or #FreeWoj, on social media including Lakers star LeBron James, Clippers guard Lou Williams and Nets’ point guard Spencer Dinwiddie. ESPN colleague Maria Taylor has also expressed her support for Wojnarowski.

ESPN also addressed the matter in a statement on Friday, prior to handing down the suspension.

“This is completely unacceptable behavior and we do not condone it,” the statement read. “It is inexcusable for anyone working for ESPN to respond in the way Adrian did to Senator Hawley. We are addressing it directly with Adrian and specifics of those conversations will remain internal.”