Report: ESPN fires Robert Griffin III, Samantha Ponder amid cutbacks

ESPN has fired football analyst Robert Griffin III and host Samantha Ponder, according to a report from The Athletic.

Griffin, a former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner at Baylor, was hired by the network in 2021 as a college football and NFL analyst.

Griffin joined ‘Monday Night Countdown’ in the 2022 season and appeared on the network’s various shows.

According to The Athletic, he had two years remaining on his contract, and the report stated that Griffin’s seven-figure annual salary would be honored. This offseason, he was replaced on ‘Monday Night Countdown’ by former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.

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Griffin, 34, played eight seasons in the NFL with Washington, the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens after being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. His first season ended up being his best as he was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year while leading Washington to a postseason berth. He had a 16-26 record as a starter, throwing for 9,271 yards and 43 touchdowns and rushing for 1,809 yards and 10 scores.

Griffin posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, in an apparent reference to the news report.

Later Thursday, Griffin posted a lengthy statement that essentially confirmed the news.

‘Thankful for so many people in my time at ESPN that helped me grow because they are some of the best in the business,’ Griffin said. ‘From the broadcast booth to the studio and ESPECIALLY the people many of you never see behind the camera. They are the REAL MVPs and sacrifice so much time with their families just to ensure people like myself in front of the camera even have the opportunity to shine.

‘There were so many awesome experiences and moments that my family and I will never forget from the last 3 years.’

According to the same report, Ponder, who hosted ‘Sunday NFL Countdown,’ was also let go. Both Griffin and Ponder were casualties of yearly budgetary evaluations at Disney, ESPN’s parent company, as it closes in on its fiscal year.

Ponder had been with ESPN since 2011. Before hosting ‘Sunday NFL Countdown,’ she was a reporter for ‘Saturday Night Football’ on ABC and a contributor to ‘College GameDay.’ According to the report, possible replacements for Ponder on ‘Sunday NFL Countdown’ include “NFL Live” host Laura Rutledge and “Get Up” host Mike Greenberg.

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