Yesterday it was announced that ESPN would be letting go of around 40 on-air personalities that included television and radio. Today that number ballooned to around 100. It was ESPN’s most feasible way to stop the bleeding from the decrease in cable subscriptions. The layoffs were first announced last month.
“We have long been about serving fans and innovating to create the best content for them. Today’s fans consume content in many different ways and we are in a continuous process of adapting to change and improving what we do,” ESPN said in a March statement. “Inevitably, that has consequences for how we utilize our talent. We are confident that ESPN will continue to have a roster of talent that is unequaled in sports.”
Some of the biggest names include Jay Crawford, radio host Danny Kanell, NFL reporter Ed Werder, and baseball reporter Jayson Stark.
Sadly my request that Stephen A. Smith be removed was ignored. Don’t worry folks. Most of the people who were let go won’t have too much of a problem finding work. I will say that I do wish them well.
Below is a list of former ESPN employees who have confirmed their departures via social media.
General
“SportsCenter” anchor Jay Crawford
ESPNU anchor Brendan Fitzgerald
Columnist Johnette Howard
Columnist Melissa Isaacson
Radio host Danny Kanell
Radio host Robin Lundberg
MLB
MLB analyst Jim Bowden
Dodgers peporter Doug Padilla
MLB writer Jayson Stark
Baseball reporter Mark Saxon
NBA
New Orleans Pelicans reporter Justin Verrier
Houston Rockets’ reporter Calvin Watkins
NBA reporter Ethan Sherwood Strauss
NFL
NFL analyst Trent Dilfer
NFL analyst Ashley Fox
NFL reporter Ed Werder
NHL
NHL columnist Scott Burnside
NHL columnist Pierre LeBrun
Hockey writer Joe McDonald
College sports
Big Ten reporter Brian Bennett
College basketball writer Eamonn Brennan
College basketball reporter C.L. Brown
SEC football reporter David Ching
College football recruiting reporter Jeremy Crabtree
College basketball analyst Len Elmore
College sports reporter Chantel Jennings
College football reporter Brett McMurphy
Pac 12 reporter Ted Miller
Big 12 reporter Max Olson
College basketball peporter Dana O’Neil
Predictive analytics expert Rufus Peabody
Big Ten football reporter Jesse Temple
SEC recruiting analyst Derek Tyson
Big Ten Football reporter Austin Ward
Miscellaneous
ESPN Dallas columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor
Soccer writer Mike Goodman
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