ESPN president John Skipper resigns due to substance abuse issue

ESPN president John Skipper resigned from his position Monday, the company announced.

"I have struggled for many years with a substance addiction," Skipper revealed in a statement. "I have decided that the most important thing I can do right now is to take care of my problem."

The agreement between ESPN and the longtime executive to part ways was mutual, said Skipper.

"I join John Skipper's many friends and colleagues across the company in wishing him well during this challenging time," Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Bob Iger said in his own statement. "I respect his candor and support his decision to focus on his health and his family."

George Bodenheimer, ESPN's executive chairman, will serve as acting chair for the next 90 days while the company searches for Skipper's full-time successor. Bodenheimer held Skipper's position as ESPN's president from 1998 until Skipper took the reins in 2012.

In his time as president, Skipper was integral in negotiating agreements with several behemoth sports entities, including the NBA, MLB, and College Football Playoff, according to the 61-year-old's biography on ESPN MediaZone.