John Skipper Reveals . . .

1. Yeah, probably.

2. He was being extorted by a drug dealer, so, I mean, yeah, probably.

Unless he did his coke and, I dunno, ate Chinese food in his room, he was living some kind of double life. If it didn't affect his work, in a sense, it's worse, because it meant that he shaped his life around his addiction.

Behaviors always accompany addictions. Or, at least, they almost always do. Cocaine users tend to do certain things while on coke, things that make being on coke more fun than, say, watching SportsCenter while high. They party. Usually with women. Maybe Skipper didn't do any of those things. But it's a conclusion one can make.

 

This one time he's not careful and that's the one time it came back to bite him in the ass. Something about this part smells ...

Skipper: In December, someone from whom I bought cocaine attempted to extort me.

JAM: Someone you had had dealings with in the past?

Skipper: No.

JAM: Again, respectfully, didn’t you just say you were careful about your dealings in this area?

Skipper: Not this time. It turned out I wasn’t careful this time.

JAM: What did they say?

Skipper: They threatened me, and I understood immediately that threat put me and my family at risk, and this exposure would put my professional life at risk as well. I foreclosed that possibility by disclosing the details to my family, and then when I discussed it with Bob, he and I agreed that I had placed the company in an untenable position and as a result, I should resign.

​

The extortion attempt took place in December. When did he buy from that random person?

The rest of the interview is fine blah blah, he wants to work again yeah yeah.

But the whole who he bought from and how that person just happened to bring down his career is what makes this story.

 

I’m sure CD was joking, but Portnoy setting up an extortion sting to screw over Skipper is believable.

 

Right, I'm not saying I bought into CD's post.

And I'm not saying this line is some kind of smoking gun:

"If you cross us, you will go down and you will go down hard" ...

But it's not some throwaway line either. Full stop.

And again, THE ONE TIME he wasn't careful is the one time it all came crashing down.

 

BTW, you don't emphasize particularly my wife unless you fucked around on her, probably with a hooker.

Skipper: Yes, it does, but I want to stress that until that Friday conversation occurred, I worked with complete conviction with colleagues I loved and for a company I loved. But I hurt my family, particularly my wife, and I forfeited a great job.

 

You can be fired for drug use.
However, if you go to your employer and tell them you have a drug problem, they can't fire you, provided you are in or seeking treatment/counseling.

Know your rights under ADA. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against and protects the rights of people with disabilities. The ADA allows employers to ensure their workplaces are drug and alcohol free, but it also protects recovering drug addicts and alcoholics from discrimination. If you are currently in a rehabilitation program or have been successfully rehabilitated you are covered under the ADA. If you feel that you’ve been discriminated against you can file a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Know your rights under FMLA. For employees who qualify, the Family and Medical Leave Act allows them to take 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave due to specified family or medical reasons within a 12-month period. The FMLA can be used to receive treatment for drug or alcohol abuse.

 

Obligatory ...

 

I wondered that too. My guess is that Skipper declined to answer those questions and that portion of the chat was edited out.

 

Man, you make more leaps than Evel Knievel.

 

Seems to have a bit of an identity crisis, old-fashioned southerner, hippy, New York City yuppie.

 

Next time the coker should tell an honest story instead of building ramps.