It’s no secret that ESPN has invested a significant amount of money in well-known personalities such as Pat McAfee, Troy Aikman, and Joe Buck. Unfortunately, this has resulted in some other big names being let go. Today’s announcement of Jalen Rose and Jeff Van Gundy’s departure from ESPN came as a surprise to many via the NY Post.
ESPN is laying off some of its biggest stars, including Jeff Van Gundy and Jalen Rose, in a purge that is expected to result in around 20 on-air personalities being let go Friday as the network hopes to save tens of millions of dollars, The Post has learned.
The layoffs involve top NFL, NBA and ESPN Radio personalities, according to sources.
ESPN informed all of its employees Friday morning of the forthcoming cuts on an internal website, according to a memo obtained by The Post. The five-paragraph note did not go into many specifics.
At the beginning of Disney’s three rounds of layoffs, sources told The Post that at ESPN, there would be “no sacred cows” when letting go of personnel.
This has become apparent on Friday.
Van Gundy, 61, has been with ESPN for 16 years, calling the Finals with play-by-player Mike Breen and co-game analyst, Mark Jackson.
The Post reported Friday morning ESPN is letting go of around 20 on-air personalities in an effort to save tens of millions of dollars.
Van Gundy’s exact salary is not known, but he was making millions.
Van Gundy has to be considered among the all-time greatest NBA TV game analysts, both by the numbers and his ability.
He ends his ABC/ESPN career just shy of a hundred NBA Finals games.
He has been routinely outspoken about the NBA, including its officiating, while displaying a relaxed demeanor on-air that allowed him to analyze the game thoroughly and provide humor with his sometimes outside-the-box observations.
Sad times are the worldwide leader.
If you check on social media they are not pleased by the decisions.