ESPN football analyst Mina Kimes issued a forceful public apology late Saturday, calling her decision to promote a controversial mobile game app a “colossal f—up” after the endorsement drew widespread criticism over the app’s legally dubious reputation.
Kimes was one of several top ESPN personalities, led by Stephen A. Smith, who promoted the “Solitaire Cash“ app on social media earlier this week. The fallout has highlighted the often-fraught relationship between high-profile sports media figures and commercial endorsements, especially those tied to the booming gaming industry.
The Apology and Deleted Posts
Facing a wave of public backlash for aligning her personal brand with a questionable real-money game, Kimes took to social media to express regret.
“The truth is: I didn’t spend any time looking into the whole thing, and that’s 100% on me,” Kimes wrote on X. “Thought it was just typical marketing work, and I’m deeply embarrassed I didn’t vet it. A colossal f—up on my part.“
Kimes has since deleted her original promotional tweet. She is not alone in distancing herself: fellow ESPN analysts Dan Orlovsky and Laura Rutledge have also quietly deleted their posts advertising the app.
The Controversy Behind ‘Solitaire Cash’
The controversy stems from the parent company behind the app, Papaya Gaming, which is currently facing a lawsuit and has been scrutinized for its operational practices.
- Bots and Rigging Allegations: The primary concern is that the app, which advertises itself as a “game of skill” where users compete for real money, was found in a court ruling to have used “tailored bots” to allegedly control the outcomes of tournaments. Essentially, the allegation suggests that players could lose money to non-human adversaries designed to ensure a specific win or loss rate, thereby defrauding users.
The optics were worsened by the campaign’s origin: Stephen A. Smith, who became the app’s ambassador, was famously caught on camera playing solitaire on his phone during the NBA Finals earlier this year. His endorsement was a direct—and for many critics, a cynical—cash-in on that viral moment.
The Holdouts: Smith and Perkins
While Kimes, Orlovsky, and Rutledge have pulled their ads, the original promotional posts by Stephen A. Smith and former NBA player Kendrick Perkins reportedly remain active on their social media pages as of Sunday morning.
The situation has opened a broader discussion about media integrity, particularly for personalities like Kimes, whose reputation is built on substantive analysis rather than hot takes, making her involvement particularly jarring to her followers.
The entire affair puts a spotlight on the enormous sums paid to sports personalities for endorsements—and the reputational damage that can follow when basic due diligence is skipped.
