ESPN may be parting ways with another splashy hire. In other news, ESPN announced yet another contract extension, and the company reprimanded NFL analyst Cris Carter for his comments at an NFL Rookie Symposium.
Whitlock Seeks Exit
- ESPN personality Jason Whitlock is negotiating an early release from his contract and could leave the company in “the next few weeks,” Sports Business Daily reported Monday. Whitlock initially worked for ESPN from 2002-06 and returned in 2013 to run a website focused on race and sports. He was soon dropped from that project, however, and his role has been mostly limited to filling in on Pardon the Interruption. According to the report, Whitlock has had talks with his previous employer Fox Sports about a possible return. (Sports Business Daily)
Crawford Extended
- ESPN announced Monday that it has reached a multi-year contract extension with SportsCenter anchor Jay Crawford, who will regularly host on-location editions of the show. Crawford, who joined ESPN in 2003 to co-anchor Cold Pizza, is the ninth broadcaster — and the third SportsCenter anchor — ESPN has re-signed in the past two months. (ESPN Media Zone)
Carter Reprimanded
- ESPN reprimanded NFL analyst Cris Carter Sunday for comments he made at an NFL Rookie Symposium last year. Speaking alongside then-NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp, Carter advised the rookie class to have a friend who would take the blame should they get in legal trouble. He apologized both on Twitter and on-air Monday. (ESPN Media Zone, ESPN.com)
