One very popular NFL insider is expected to be part of the layoffs at ESPN on Tuesday, July 21.
Front Office Sports reports that Tom Pelissero, who has been at NFL Network since 2017, is expected to be laid off, but the expectation is that there will be a “robust market for him” because there are “a number of places that could have a need.
This comes after ESPN purchased NFL Network earlier this year. With that, they acquired all of the talent, which includes Ian Rapoport and Pelissero. There is also Mike Garafolo, who co-hosts “The Insiders,” but he will be staying, as he was given a contract extension recently.
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro Addressed Staff In Memo
GettyA view of the logo during ESPN The Party on February 5, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for ESPN)
A memo was sent by ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro to the staff, addressing the number of layoffs at the company. It was obtained by Front Office Sports.
Here is what it said:
“Over the past several months, we’ve made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN. Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structure to best position us for the future. As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today.
While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted. We are committed to treating employees with compassion and respect and to providing support as they navigate this transition.
Even in moments like these, the strength of ESPN comes from our people, our teamwork and our shared mission to serve sports fans.”
Who Has Been Laid Off So Far
GettyRyan Clark.
Among those who have been reportedly laid off are:
- NFL analyst Ryan Clark
- MLB play-by-play announcer Karl Ravech
- NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero
- SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd
- Fantasy football analyst Stephania Bell
- NFL Network analyst Charles Davis
- First Take contributor Cam Newton
- NFL analyst Bart Scott
Fans React To The Tom Pelissero News
“This sucks. But Tom‘s an ass-kicker, and someone will lucky to get him,” NFL Insider Albert Breer posted.
“o…ESPN bought out NFL Network just to layoff top contributors to what made it so great? Going to miss Charles Davis on NFL Draft weekend and Tom Pelissero on The Insiders/GameDay Morning. I’m sure they’ll both land on their feet and hope there aren’t many more layoffs,” one person commented.
“Pelissero is excellent at what he does. This has to be a case of too many insiders post-merger with Schefter, Rapp & him, and zero to do with his job performance. While I like all of them, he’s actually my favorite among the three. He won’t be out of work long,” another person stated.
And after the Dianna Russini scandal that resulted in her resigning, some think Pelissero’s best landing spot would be at The Athletic.
“Pelissero replacing Russini, while doing some Netflix work would make a TON of sense. I’d expect him to get quickly hired,” one person wrote.
“Probably stating the obvious, but would I highly expect The Athletic to hire Tom Pelissero as a senior NFL insider, after Dianna Russini resigned in April,” another person expressed.
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