At this point, it seems clear that Mark Titus didn’t leave The Ringer on the best of terms.
And on Wednesday’s episode of Barstool Sports’ Mostly Sports With Mark Titus and Brandon Walker, the former Ohio State walk-on provided a pretty big hint as to why.
As the show discussed a disturbing video in which Aroldis Chapman appears to grope an elderly woman, the conversation naturally resulted in Titus feeling up Walker. After Titus — who once peed his pants during a broadcast — proclaimed groping his co-host “the most embarrassing thing I’ve done at this company,” Walker remarked, “there’s going to be some passive aggressive tweets from Ringer guys today.”
“Oh look at Mark Titus. He’s feeling up Brandon Walker, huh?” Walker said, mimicking such a post.
“Bet you would love to have one-tenth of your salary and come back to L.A. now, wouldn’t you?” Titus responded in kind.
https://twitter.com/rBillSimmonsPod/status/1768046086105501868
Obviously, it’s not hard to read between the lines.
While Titus has yet to fully open up regarding his departure from The Ringer in 2019, this isn’t the first time that he’s implied that money was one of the biggest motivating factors. And his most recent jab at the company comes just weeks after he hinted at an icy relationship with its founder, Bill Simmons, during appearance on The Kirk Minihane Show.
“I don’t have a vendetta against him,” Titus responded when asked if he likes Simmons. “He’s just a guy — in the same way that if you worked an accounting job out of college and then now you moved on with your life, you probably don’t think about your boss from that job very often. Like that’s kind of how I view him. I’m a little grateful for the opportunity he gave me. But at the same time, I don’t, like, talk to him.”
@rBillSimmonsPod Not quite McAfee heat, but here's a not so glowing review of Bill from Mark Titus. Is there anyone who has left the Ringer who has great things to say about BS? pic.twitter.com/6d5tfPrSvN
— TommyDonny (@TommyDonny63) February 15, 2024
Titus’ comments regarding Simmons are certainly notable considering the relationship the two had previously maintained dating back to the Indiana native’s Ohio State days. While Titus gained a sizable following thanks to his Club Trillion blog, his appearances on Simmons’ podcast helped him reach a new level of exposure and The Sports Guy wound up hiring him to work at Grantland after his college career came to an end.
Titus followed Simmons to The Ringer in 2016, where he launched the popular Titus & Tate college basketball podcast with Simmons’ former podcast producer, Tate Frazier. But somewhere along the way, the relationship apparently became frayed, with Titus leaving The Ringer in 2019 and now viewing Simmons as just another former boss, as opposed to somebody who was instrumental in helping launch his career.
[Mostly Sports With Mark Titus and Brandon Walker]
