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ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes blew up NFL news aggregation account Dov Kleiman after the mysterious account tried to self-engineer a “viral” story about people calling for Kimes to be fired from ESPN. Kleiman claimed Kimes’ comments about Jackie Robinson were the reason for the fabricated outrage.
Earlier this week, after winning an episode of Around the Horn, Mina Kimes was given “facetime” to speak about whatever topic she wanted — the traditional prize of winning Around the Horn — and used it to discuss baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
The debate surrounding Jackie Robinson has been unfolding this week after the Department of Defense removed an article from its website that detailed Jackie Robinson’s military service, while adding the letters “DEI” to the url. The original article has since been restored following intense backlash.
“Jackie Robinson was known for many things. But above all, first and foremost, it was his ongoing courage in the face of racial discrimination,” Kimes said of Robinson on Around the Horn this week.
“In fact, in addition to crossing the color barrier in baseball, he served in a segregated unit in the Army and in one instance, refused to move to the back of the bus, was arrested and acquitted. That matters. That history can be erased, it cannot be undone, and it must be recognized to fully understand and celebrate his legacy.”
Kimes’ clap back at the mysterious Twitter account came after he suggested that calls for her to be fired from ESPN for her comments about Jackie Robinson were “trending” even though they weren’t.
“No they aren’t. F—— clickbait,” said the top reply to Dov’s tweet.
“Actually, many football fans are calling for you to shut down this fraud account,” another popular reply read.
Should Mina Kimes be fired?https://t.co/jlsPdYDhZ3
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 20, 2025
After getting wind of Dov’s post, Kimes brought the hammer down by reminding people of the long-running unconfirmed rumors that the man behind the account had such an obsession with actress Jennifer Lawrence that a restraining order had to be filed.
I see @NFL_DovKleiman keeps posting weird stuff about me today. Flattered bc I think this means I now have something in common with Jennifer Lawrence?
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 20, 2025
Kimes — one of ESPN’s highest-paid and widely respected analysts — acknowledged that while the person currently running the Dov account may not be the same one connected to the Jennifer Lawrence rumors, she surmised that “He can sell his account but he can’t escape his lore.”