Bill Simmons Returns From ESPN Suspension

Bill Simmons is back.

However, not all that many people saw the return of one of ESPN’s biggest names as Simmons made an appearance at 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 15, a minute after the end of his three-week suspension for calling NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a “liar” on his Grantland B.S. Report podcast

Simmons made little mention of his suspension, other than to say that he was happy to be back. Instead, Simmons and co-host Jalen Rose dove straight into previewing the 2014-2015 NBA season.

Simmons was suspended by ESPN for his outspoken comments on the Ray Rice scandal and the NFL’s response to it. On his podcast, Simmons said: “I really hope somebody calls me or emails me and says I’m in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell. Because if one person says that to me, I’m going public. You leave me alone. The commissioner’s a liar and I get to talk about that on my podcast. … Please, call me and say I’m in trouble. I dare you.”

ESPN did call him, and indeed suspended him for three weeks from the network and from Twitter, but the resulting social media outcry made Simmons something of a free-speech hero, with the hashtag #FreeSimmons becoming a social media phenomenon.

Watch Bill Simmons return to ESPN below.