ESPN FIRED- Jalen Rose, Jeff Van Gundy, Max Kelkerman & more!!

NIMH Ep #570
ESPN FIRED- Jalen Rose, Jeff Van Gundy, Max Kelkerman & more!!

ESPN Cutting 17 On-Air Personalities: Keyshawn Johnson, Jeff Van Gundy and More —

More than a dozen on-air personalities are being dropped by ESPN as part of an overall cost-cutting measure at the network.

NFL great Keyshawn Johnson, who became one of ESPN Radio’s top morning show personalities; Johnson’s former co-host Max Kellerman; basketball coach-turned-analyst Jeff Van Gundy; and NBA star Jalen Rose, who went on to become a commentator for the network, have all been let go, our sister site Deadline reports.

They join NFL analyst Rob Ninkovich, NHL analyst Chris Chelios and SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett, whose exits were reported earlier this week.

Also out at the network, bringing the total departures to 17: Steve Young, Suzy Kolber, Matt Hasselbeck, Todd McShay, Ashley Brewer, Joon Lee, David Pollack, LaPhonso Ellis, Jordan Cornette and Jason Fitz.

“Given the current environment, ESPN has determined it necessary to identify some additional cost savings in the area of public-facing commentator salaries, and that process has begun,” the Disney-owned sports network said in a statement. “This exercise will include a small group of job cuts in the short-term and an ongoing focus on managing costs when we negotiate individual contract renewals in the months ahead. This is an extremely challenging process, involving individuals who have had tremendous impact on our company. These difficult decisions, based more on overall efficiency than merit, will help us meet our financial targets and ensure future growth.”

Additional cuts are expected to be announced.