ESPN has fired Sunday NFL Countdown host Samantha Ponder and analyst Robert Griffin III, sources acquainted with the changes said Thursday.
The decisions were made for financial reasons as ESPN closes its fiscal 12 months at the tip of September, based on a source acquainted with the matter. Both Ponder and Griffin earned greater than seven figures. Both were informed of ESPN's decision on Thursday morning, a source acquainted with the choice said. Neither Griffin nor Ponder responded to requests for comment, but Griffin has referred to the move in posts on X.
“I am grateful for so many people who have helped me grow during my time at ESPN because they are some of the best in the business. … THANK YOU to everyone who has supported my family during my playing days and my career as a presenter so far,” he wrote.
Ponder was entering the ultimate season of a three-year deal value greater than $3 million, sources briefed on her contract said. She was working only in the distinguished role of host of the “Sunday NFL Countdown” and was essentially off for the remaining of the 12 months. ESPN normally reserves those sorts of dates for the Joe Bucks, Troy Aikmans and Peyton Mannings of its world.
Possible successors to Ponder include “NFL Live” host Laura Rutledge and “Get Up” host Mike Greenberg. According to sources acquainted with the network's internal discussions, Greenberg is taken into account the favourite.
The severance packages for Ponder and Griffin are the one moves ESPN is making at the moment, but the corporate could make more pay cuts by the tip of September. However, the cuts are unlikely to be nearly as bad as last June, when around 20 big names were let go, including well-known figures reminiscent of Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber and Jalen Rose.
Samantha Ponder visits SiriusXM at Super Bowl LVII in February 2023. (Photo: Cindy Ord / Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Griffin, who was considered a rising star at ESPN last 12 months, had two years left on his contract. He was hired three years ago after interest from Fox Sports and ESPN, where sources at each networks raved about what they called probably the greatest auditions they’d ever seen.
Last season, he was considered ESPN's second-best college football game analyst, together with Sean McDonough, however the job went to Greg McElroy.
ESPN declined to comment.
With Griffin's stock price falling, he was a major candidate for firing. His seven-figure annual salary might be maintained, but his role had shrunk a lot that ESPN decided not to maintain him.
The first real sign that Griffin was regressing was his removal from Monday Night Countdown, where he was featured on the premier pregame show for 2 years. ESPN hired Jason Kelce within the offseason to interchange Griffin.
Last season, Griffin was also a member of one in every of ESPN's top college game broadcast teams, working with live commentator Bob Wischusen.
Fox Sports has shown interest in Griffin through the years. When the network was searching for a substitute for Reggie Bush on its pregame show “Big Noon Kickoff,” Griffin was at the highest of the list, however the selection fell on one other former Heisman winner, Mark Ingram II.
Griffin is lively on social media and speaks out on quite a lot of topics, although there have been controversies at ESPN. Ponder doesn’t post as much on social media as Griffin, but has sometimes spoken out on transgender athletes and other politically charged topics.
In 2017, Ponder was given the glory of replacing the legendary Chris Berman on “Countdown.”
Berman, perhaps probably the most famous anchor within the network's history, stepped right down to make way for Ponder. She didn't have much NFL experience, having worked her way up at ESPN by playing a serious role on the legendary pregame show “College GameDay.”
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