List of 75 ESPN Employees Who Got Laid Off (April 2017)
List of 75 ESPN Employees Who Got Laid Off (April 2017)
This is a list of people who have reportedly gotten laid off from ESPN in late April 2017. [31]They are listed in alphabetical order.
Shaun Assael (Investigations unit writer) [80]
Charles Arbuckle (college football analyst) [59]
Jarrett Bell (NFL contributor); he got laid off on his birthday [60]
Brian Bennett (Big Ten reporter) [62]
Allen Bestwick (college football & Indy 500 play-by-play announcer) [36]
Jeff Biggs (ESPN 710 host) [47]
Jim Bowden (MLB analyst) [73]
Dallas Braden (MLB analyst) [3]
Andrew Brandt (NFL analyst)
Eamonn Brennan (college basketball writer) [70]
C.L. Brown (college basketball reporter); he was on vacation in Madrid [71]
Scott Burnside (NHL columnist) [44]
Adam Caplan (NFL analyst)
Jim Caple (columnist) [50]
Marysol Castro (Premier Boxing Champions host) [15]
David Ching (SEC football reporter) [19]
Roger Cossack (legal analyst) [74]
Jeremy Crabtree (Espn.com Writer) [4]
Jay Crawford (SportsCenter anchor) [40]
Steve Delsohn (Outside the Lines reporter) [48]
Trent Dilfer (NFL analyst) [37]
Len Elmore (college basketball analyst) [75]
Tom Farrey (Enterprise reporter) [12]
Brendan Fitzgerald (ESPNU anchor) [64]
Chad Ford (NBA Insider) [35]
Ashley Fox (NFL analyst) [52]
Mike L. Goodman (soccer writer) [69]
Chris Hassel (SportsCenter anchor) [77]
David Hirshey (soccer writer) [11]
Johnette Howard (columnist) [79]
Raúl Ibañez (MLB analyst) [3]
Melissa Isaacson (ESPNW and ESPN Chicago columnist) [84]
Chantel Jennings (college sports reporter); [66]she wrote an article on Medium after she was laid off [67]
Andy Katz (college basketball reporter) [51]
Danny Kanell (radio host) [24]
Paul Kuharsky (Titans reporter) [23]
Pierre LeBrun (NHL columnist) [58]
David Lombardi (college football reporter) [49]
Robin Lundberg (radio host) [34]
Mark May (college football analyst)
Jade McCarthy (SportsCenter anchor) [6]
Joe McDonald (hockey writer) [5]
Britt McHenry (reporter) [46]
Doug McIntyre (soccer writer) [9]
Jane McManus (ESPNW reporter) [1]
Brett McMurphy (college football reporter) [41]
Ted Miller (Pac 12 reporter) [72]
Dana O'Neil (college basketball reporter) [-1]
Max Olson (Big 12 reporter) [8]
Greg Ostendorf (SEC reporter) [16]
Doug Padilla (Dodgers reporter) [17]
Josh Parcell (ESPNU producer) [10]
Rufus Peabody (predictive analytics expert)
Dottie Pepper (golf commentator) [81]
Jerry Punch (auto racing and college football commentator)
Phil Savage (NFL reporter) [33]
Mark Saxon (baseball reporter) [65]
Jaymee Sire (SportsCenter anchor) [88]
Jayson Stark (MLB writer) [39]
Marc Stein (NBA reporter) [18]
Ethan Strauss (NBA reporter) [57]
Jean-Jacques Taylor (ESPN Dallas columnist) [20]
Jesse Temple (Wisconsin and Big Ten football reporter) [22]
Dave Tuley (sports gambling writer) [14]
Derek Tyson (SEC recruiting analyst) [68]
Justin Verrier (New Orleans Pelicans reporter) [83]
Sara Walsh (SportsCenter anchor); she was laid off during her maternity leave (after delivering twins) [26]
Austin Ward (Big Ten football reporter) [43]
Reese Waters (correspondent) [76]
Calvin Watkins (college basketball analyst) [7]
Ed Werder (NFL reporter) [38]
20 of the ESPN employees who were laid off were working at their headquarters in Bristol, CT. [25]
Additional Information
In addition to the list above, one source reports that Karl Ravech, Ryen Russillo, and Hannah Storm will see their roles "significantly reduced." [32]Russillo has since denied that his role will be reduced at ESPN, saying the reports are false.
It was reported that SportsCenter anchor John Buccigross was laid off, as well. However, he took to Twitter to clarify that he was not laid off. However, ESPN is going to let his contract expire on July 1. [56]
The *Charlotte Observer * also reported that ESPN is moving its ESPNU studio operation from Charlotte to its headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. However, the SEC network operations, as well as an events division, will remain in Charlotte. [87]
John Skipper's Message to ESPN Employees
In April 2017, during the week the aforementioned ESPN employees were laid off, ESPN's president John Skipper informed his ESPN employees about changes in the company's talent lineup: [0]
"ESPN has been actively engaged throughout its history in navigating changes in technology and fan behavior in order to continue to deliver quality breakthrough content.
Today, we are again focused on a strategic vision that will propel our vast array of networks and services forward.
A necessary component of managing change involves constantly evaluating how we best utilize all of our resources, and that sometimes involves difficult decisions.
Our content strategy – primarily illustrated in recent months by melding distinct, personality-driven *SportsCenter * TV editions and digital-only efforts with our biggest sub-brand – still needs to go further, faster…and as always, must be efficient and nimble. Dynamic change demands an increased focus on versatility and value, and as a result, we have been engaged in the challenging process of determining the talent—anchors, analysts, reporters, writers and those who handle play-by-play—necessary to meet those demands. We will implement changes in our talent lineup this week. A limited number of other positions will also be affected and a handful of new jobs will be posted to fill various needs. These decisions impact talented people who have done great work for our company. I would like to thank all of them for their efforts and their many contributions to ESPN. Our objective in all we do is to best serve fans and their changing consumption habits while still maintaining an unparalleled and diverse talent roster that resonates with fans across all our platforms. We will continue to foster creativity and investment in the products and resources necessary to embrace the opportunities that lie ahead. Thank you as always for your continuing dedication to our work."