Outgoing Turner Sports broadcaster Casey Stern is suing the company for discrimination; Urban Meyer is returning to coaching. Plus: Dan Le Batard’s post-ESPN plans and more.
Stern suing Turner over demotions, departure
Turner Sports broadcaster Casey Stern is suing parent company WarnerMedia for discrimination, alleging that Turner removed him from his roles as an MLB and NBA studio host and elected not to pick up his expiring contract in retaliation for missing assignments to deal with the abuse of his children by his ex-wife and her partner.
As of 2019, Stern was Turner’s #2 NBA studio host behind Ernie Johnson, its #3 NCAA Tournament host behind Johnson and Greg Gumbel, and its lead MLB studio host. He has since been replaced by Adam Lefkoe, Adam Zucker and Johnson in those respective roles. The lawsuit alleges that the lost assignments coincide with Turner learning about his family issues.
Stern remains under contract through August and last appeared on air August 5. Per the suit, he was informed that he was losing his MLB Postseason role — and would not be retained by Turner — September 11. [Deadline 1.14; NYDN 1.14 via Sports Business Daily 1.15]
Meyer returns to coaching
Fox Sports college football analyst Urban Meyer has departed the network to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, ending his second stint in television after just two years. Meyer previously spent one season with ESPN in 2011 between jobs at Florida and Ohio State.
Meyer was the highest-profile member of the revamped Fox “Big Noon Saturday” studio team. [Jaguars.com 1.14]
Le Batard, Skipper, partnering on content company
Former ESPN host Dan Le Batard has teamed up with former ESPN president John Skipper to develop a content company, according to multiple reports over the past week. According to Front Office Sports, the pair is targeting current and former ESPNers — including Jemele Hill, Bomani Jones and Kate Fagan — for the venture, described in the report as a “politically progressive sports media company.” [SBJ 1.9, Front Office Sports 1.12]
Plus: Gameday, Washington, NHL
The basketball version of ESPN’s College Gameday will not travel to game sites and instead originate from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., studios, it was announced this week. Its football counterpart traveled to games in all-but-one week last season. … ESPN The Undefeated writer Jesse Washington has reached a multi-year extension to remain with the company. He joined in 2015. … Kenny Albert and John Forslund are each scheduled to broadcast two games each during NBCSN’s planned NHL quadrupleheader on Martin Luther King Day. [ESPN PR 1.13 a, b; NBC Sports PR]
