ESPN is laying off around 20 on-air personalities as part of company-wide cost-cutting measures, and its NFL division is being hit particularly hard.
Suzy Kolber, Keyshawn Johnson, Todd McShay, Matt Hasselbeck and Steve Young were among the personalities informed they'll no longer have a place at the network, according to the New York Post.
McShay has been with the network since 2006 and the network's No. 2 NFL draft analyst since 2009. He also worked college football sidelines for a number of years.
The remaining names all worked on ESPN's NFL desk. Johnson's full-time ESPN career began, ironically, live on ESPN's air. While guesting on ESPN's 2007 NFL draft desk, Johnson, then a Carolina Panthers wide receiver, broke down his team's selection of USC wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett with the 45th pick. Carolina released Johnson days later, and the 3-time Pro Bowler never played another game. Johnson joined ESPN full-time thereafter.
Kolber was nearing her 30th anniversary of first joining the network. After a brief tenure with Fox Sports, she returned in 1999 and quickly became a mainstay of the network's ESPN coverage. Kolber was best known for hosting the pregame, halftime and postgame coverage of Monday Night Football. She also contributed green room interviews during the NFL draft for nearly 20 years.
Today I join the many hard-working colleagues who have been laid off.
— Suzy Kolber (@SuzyKolber) June 30, 2023
Heartbreaking-but 27 years at ESPN was a good run.
So grateful for a 38 yr career!
Longevity for a woman in this business is something I’m especially proud of.
Next step- a project that gives back. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/URitozP0LQ
Young, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, had been with the network since 2000 and was a member of ESPN's Monday Night studio team. He also served as an analyst for three Super Bowls on ABC, as well as multiple NFL drafts. Hasselbeck joined ESPN's roster of NFL analysts in 2016, the same day he retired from an 18-year playing career.
Football was not the only area touched by layoffs. ESPN also laid off lead NBA game analyst Jeff Van Gundy on Friday, among others.
The layoffs, ESPN's second of three anticipated rounds, are expected to save the network tens of millions a year. Each staffer laid off Friday was believed to earn at least $1 million a year. They are part of a company-wide restructuring mandated by CEO Bob Iger. Overall, Disney is expected to cut 7,000 jobs this year.
Interestingly, the Post reports that ESPN will, for the first time, release its own financial statement, separate from its parent company. "Despite cost-cutting," the paper reports, the network's earnings are "said to still be quite impressive."
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
Update: The New York Post now reports David Pollack is among the layoffs.
Monday Update: Writer and GameDay contributor Gene Wojciechowski announced that Friday was his last day with ESPN as well.