AFTER HIS SUSPENSION, BILL SIMMONS RETURNS TO HIS ESPN PODCAST

After a three-week suspension for calling NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a "liar" on his ESPN podcast, Bill Simmons went back to work at a minute after midnight today (Wednesday), saying nothing about his suspension except that he was glad to be back. He returned to the podcast as what the New York Times described as a "free-speech martyr," with tons of support from fans, who scorned the cable sports network’s punishment of him. His return also comes shortly before he enters into new contract negotiations with the network in advance of the expiration of his current agreement in the fall. The Times cited people close to Simmons as saying that he is furious about his suspension "and has been talking a lot about whether ESPN is still the right place for him."