ESPN has fired “Sunday NFL Countdown” host Samantha Ponder and commentator Robert Griffin III, a source briefed on the matter told The Athletic on Thursday.
A source familiar with the matter said the decision was made for financial reasons, with ESPN’s fiscal year coming to an end at the end of September. Both Ponder and Griffin make more than seven figures. A source familiar with the matter said the pair were informed of ESPN’s decision on Thursday morning. Neither Griffin nor Ponder responded to The Athletic’s requests for comment, but Griffin addressed the move in a post on X.
“I’d like to thank the many people who helped me grow during my time at ESPN – they are the best in the business. … I’d like to thank everyone who supported my family throughout my playing and broadcasting career so far,” he wrote.
Ponder was in the final season of a three-year contract worth more than $3 million, a source briefed on her deal said. She served only in her honorary role as host of “Sunday NFL Countdown” and was essentially off for the rest of the year, the kind of schedule ESPN typically reserves for figures like Joe Bucs, Troy Aikman and Peyton Mannings.
“NFL Live” host Laura Rutledge and “Get Up” host Mike Greenberg are among the candidates to replace Ponder, with Greenberg considered the front-runner, according to a source briefed on the network’s internal discussions.
ESPN’s current buyout of Ponder and Griffin is all it has done, but it could potentially make further payroll cuts by the end of September, though the cuts aren’t expected to be as massive as the layoffs that took place last June when about 20 big-name players were let go, including big names like Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber and Jalen Rose.
Samantha Ponder attends SiriusXM during Super Bowl 52 in February 2023. (Photo by Cindy Ord/SiriusXM via Getty Images)
Griffin, who was considered a rising star at ESPN until last year and had two years remaining on his contract, was recruited three years ago after drawing interest from Fox Sports and ESPN in what sources at both networks hailed at the time as one of the best auditions they had ever seen.
He was strongly considered to be ESPN’s No. 2 college football commentator alongside Sean McDonough last season, but that role went to Greg McElroy.
ESPN declined to comment.
Griffin’s declining ratings made him a prime candidate for dismissal, and although he was still being paid a seven-figure annual salary, his role was reduced and ESPN decided not to keep him on the team.
The first real sign that Griffin was being removed from the lineup came when he was removed from the Monday Night Countdown, the franchise’s flagship pregame show, after two years on the job. ESPN hired Jason Kelce to replace Griffin this offseason.
Griffin was part of ESPN’s top college game coverage team last season, alongside play-by-play announcer Bob Wischusen.
Fox Sports has been interested in Griffin for years and was high on their list of candidates when they were searching for a successor to Reggie Bush for their pregame show “Big Noon Kickoff,” but ultimately chose another former Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram II.
Griffin is active on social media and has spoken out on a variety of issues, including the time ESPN stirred up controversy. Ponder doesn’t post on social media as frequently as Griffin, but he has spoken out on transgender athletes and other politically sensitive issues.
In 2017, Ponder was given the honor of filling in for the legendary Chris Berman on “Countdown.”
Berman, perhaps the most prominent on-air executive in the network’s history, stepped down to be replaced by Ponder, who didn’t have much NFL experience and had risen through the ranks as a regular on ESPN’s iconic pregame show, “College GameDay.”
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(Photo by Peter Joneright/Getty Images)
