ESPN fires Samantha Ponder and Robert Griffin III in alleged cost-cutting measure
According to reports, ESPN has fired football commentator Robert Griffin III and Sunday NFL Countdown host Samantha Ponder as part of a surprise restructuring in an effort to cut costs.
Both presenters earned seven-figure salaries each and were still under contract with the network when they were informed of the decision on Thursday morning, The Athletic reported.
ESPN’s parent company Walt Disney is said to have made the cuts before the end of the current fiscal quarter at the end of September.
Other on-air talent appears to have been unaffected by the cuts.
Ponder hosted the network’s NFL preview show only during football season and had the rest of the year off. She replaced Chris Berman as anchor in 2017. Laura Rutledge and Mike Greenberg, who both host daily shows, are reportedly possible successors to Ponder.
Griffin was previously demoted from “Monday Night Countdown” when the network hired former Eagles star Jason Kelce in April. He also worked as an in-booth analyst on college football broadcasts and appeared on NFL studio panels.
Griffin, a former NFL quarterback and Heisman winner, appeared to cryptically reference the news earlier Thursday before posting a clip from the comedy “Friday” in which John Witherspoon asks Ice Cube how he ended up being fired from his job on his day off.
His wife Grete Griffin also reacted to the news on social media.
“When one window closes, another door opens,” she posted on X, along with a sparkling star emoji.
It is unclear when Griffin or Ponder will have time to work as anchors on rival networks. The new NFL season starts on September 5.
ESPN has had to tighten its belt several times in recent years. Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber and Jalen Rose were among the well-known names and on-air personalities the network fired last June.
