First Bill Simmons. Then Keith Olbermann. Now Colin Cowherd.
The ESPN Radio host will become the latest big name to leave the network in 2015, as ESPN president John Skipper announced Cowherd’s departure Thursday morning.
“We’ve enjoyed a mutually beneficial run with Colin for over a decade,” Skipper said in a statement. “He came to national prominence on ESPN with his unique perspective on sports and society. Endings also bring new beginnings, for ESPN and Colin, and we thank him and wish him the best.”
The Big Lead first reported the news Thursday, adding that “talks are progressing” between Cowherd and FOX Sports, whose president, Jamie Horowitz, used to work with Cowherd at ESPN as the producer of “SportsNation.”
Cowherd, whose contract with ESPN was set to expire this year, made a name for himself in Bristol co-hosting “SportsNation with Michelle Beadle and Charissa Thompson” and gained a wide following on his radio show, “The Herd With Colin Cowherd.”
Cowherd’s tenure wasn’t without controversy — or awkwardness — but his exit nonetheless leaves yet another hole at ESPN that needs to be filled.
Thumbnail photo via Jerry Lai/USA TODAY Sports Images