Icehouse Beer is going to have to find someone else to serve as a spokesperson. ESPN told sideline reporter Jenn Brown that she could not serve in that role.
Brown, a reporter for the network's college football programming, originally signed on to endorse the beer, but ESPN has since stepped in and is not allowing it to happen, The Business Journal of Milwaukee reports.
Icehouse, which is owned by MillerCoors, is still under the impression that a deal is place, but it has acknowledged that sources at ESPN have informed the company that "the agreement is not moving forward," according to a spokesman.
"Until we hear from Brown or her agent, we believe we still have an approved deal," he said.
ESPN confirmed to the Business Journal that the deal was dead, but did not offer any further comment.
Brown will cover college football for ESPN this fall for both College Football Primetime and College GameDay. She previously covered the NFL for Showtime and worked for E! Network.
Her endorsement deal was the source of some controversy, even before the deal fell apart.
"Should a reporter covering colleges endorse an alcoholic beverage?" asked SI.com's Richard Deitsch recently. "If a sideline reporter were assigned to a pro sport, I'd have zero issues with her decision. But there's a large percentage of athletes and fans Brown will cover this year who cannot drink legally."
This type of thinking likely went into ESPN's decision to ax the deal, despite the fact that ESPN has approved endorsements for much of their on-air talent in the past.
