On the same day ESPN ran special extended coverage of player comings and goings during NBA Free Agency, about 20 of the network’s top on-air talent found out they would be on the move, as well.
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A person familiar with the cutbacks told Deadline they are unrelated to the multi-round Disney layoffs implemented in recent months. The source indicated that many of those affected by the new cuts have contracts beyond June 30 and will be paid out accordingly, but parting ways will enable ESPN to avoid wider layoffs.
Here is the list of those reported to be departing, some of whom had been previously announced:
Jeff Van Gundy
Jalen Rose
Keyshawn Johnson
Max Kellerman
Suzy Kolber
Chris Chelios
Matt Hasselbeck
Steve Young
Rob Ninkovich
Neil Everett
Ashley Brewer
Joon Lee
LaPhonso Ellis
Todd McShay
Jordan Cornette
Jason Fitz
David Pollack
Below are some of the tweets from on-air talent announcing their departures.
ESPN issued the following statement about the layoffs:
“Given the current environment, ESPN has determined it necessary to identify some additional cost savings in the area of public-facing commentator salaries, and that process has begun,” ESPN said in a statement. “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. 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.
For fuller analysis of these personnel moves, see this piece from Deadline’s Dade Hayes.
Dade Hayes contributed to this report.
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