ESPN has parted ways with Robert Griffin III and NFL Countdown host Sam Ponder, Deadline has learned.
Sources tell us that the decision to cut both on-air personalities was based on a business decision to reduce costs and will be paid off for the rest of their contracts.
The Athletic, which first reported the news, said Griffin had two years left on his deal while Ponder was about to enter the last year of her three-year deal.
Griffin’s exit from ESPN comes as the sports network signed retired Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce as host for Monday Night Countdown.
After news of his exit, Griffin shared a clip from the 1995 movie Friday where they say, “How the hell are you go get fired on your day off?
The ESPN cuts come a year after the sports network let go of about 20 on-air personalities. Last year, Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber, Jalen Rose, Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson, and David Pollack were axed.
At the time, ESPN said that “given the current environment,” the network had “determined it necessary to identify some additional cost savings in the area of public-facing commentator salaries.”
“This exercise will include a small group of job cuts in the short-term and an ongoing focus on managing costs when we negotiate individual contract renewals in the months ahead,” ESPN said in a statement from July 2023. “This is an extremely challenging process, involving individuals who have had tremendous impact on our company. These difficult decisions, based more on overall efficiency than merit, will help us meet our financial targets and ensure future growth.”
