Suzy Kolber was part of a 20-talent layoff at ESPN in June 2023, along with Steve Young, Max Kellerman and Jalen Rose. At the time, Kolber hosted the network’s “Monday Night Countdown” pregame show.
Kolber spoke about her firing for the first time during a conversation on the “Sports Media with Richard Deitsch” podcast this week.
“He [ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro] said, ‘Suzy there’s a whiteboard and your name’s on it. I don’t really know for sure right now but your name is on it,'” she said.
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It’s unclear how the head of the company didn’t know whether Kolber was safe. Nonetheless, she recalled coming home that night and having a conversation with her daughter.
“I remember that day sitting next to my daughter in the kitchen. For years I’ve said ‘You never know.’ And I sat down next to her and I cried. And I said, ‘I think this is really happening.’”
ESPN “Monday Night Football” studio analyst Suzy Kolber stands during the NFL regular season game between the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The following week, Kolber received a call from then-ESPN executive Norby Williamson, best known as a supporter of Mark Jones.
Kolber said she “lost it” when Williamson told her she couldn’t say “anything disparaging about the company or we can take the last year of your contract.”
Before her layoff, Kolber had agreed to take a pay cut.
“I did think the 39% cut was going to get me to the end [of my career],” she said.
Perhaps Kolber should have remained silent about her firing. She didn’t help herself with these comments.
For one, she comes off as entitled. We understand that a layoff can be emotional, regardless of the circumstances. However, a non-disparagement provision is standard. Kolber is no different from any other talent laid off with time remaining on their contract.
There was hardly a reason to “lose it,” as she put it, over the clause.
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NFL analysts Suzy Kolber, Steve Young, Robert Griffith III, Alex Smith and Booger McFarland interact before the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa., on Nov. 14, 2022. (Getty Images)
Kolber also worked at ESPN for 27 years. She is now 62. She hosted the network’s top pregame show. ESPN didn’t owe her anything else. And yet, she suggested that she was unhappy with the lack of appreciation she received during her departure.
“I just thought after 27 years of, I was the first person hired for the launch of ESPN 2. I was the first person assigned to the X Games,” she continued. “I went and shot the marketing tape for it. ‘Monday Night Football’s’ move to ESPN, I was part of some pretty big franchises. You’re not going to say a word? Not thanks for 27 years, just acknowledge it? I didn’t understand that.”
At least her bosses didn’t fire her on-air, mid-show, as they did Ryan Clark in an apparent attempt to spite OutKick.
Our understanding is that Kolber’s firing was about the numbers. The network needed to shed a certain amount of talent salary, and she became expendable because ESPN employed other anchors who could fill her role. ESPN eventually tapped Scott Van Pelt to replace Kolber on “Countdown.”
ESPN likely would have made a change at the position regardless, with its first-ever Super Bowl broadcast coming this fall. The anchor of “Monday Night Countdown” will also host the Super Bowl and its halftime show.
As one of the faces of the network, Van Pelt was a favorite for the position before 2023.
The network arguably has more NFL hosts than it has major sports. Van Pelt hosts Mondays. Mike Greenberg hosts the Sunday morning pregame show. Laura Rutledge, the host of “NFL Live,” would be the lead football anchor at most networks and arguably should be at ESPN.
Therefore, Kolber became the odd person out.
ESPN analyst Suzy Kolber reacts during a game between the New Orleans Saints and the Houston Texans at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Sept. 9, 2019. (Getty Images)
Still, Kolber was a good host. Her talent and production were not the issues. In fact, since executive Burke Magnus is in the business of rehiring previous anchors, he should have brought her back.
Instead — in what appears to be a make-good for firing Ryan Clark — Magnus rehired Stan Verrett, who has a weird obsession with OutKick and race talk, to anchor a show on NFL Network.
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Kolber has since shifted her focus, creating a new interview series called “The Originals” on the Scripps Sports Network. Her first episode airs Sept. 15 at 8 p.m.
