ESPN, Keith Olbermann part ways after new reports of conflict

We cannot exactly say that this is the first time that we’ve heard of friction between Keith Olbermann and an employer, and in some ways it has ended rather predictable: With a departure. He previously had programs on MSNBC and Current TV, and has been with ESPN for a couple of years. Now, he’s leaving that.

In a statement today the sports network proclaimed that “Keith is a tremendous talent who has consistently done timely, entertaining and thought-provoking work since returning to ESPN. While the show’s content was distinctive and extremely high quality, we ultimately made a business decision to move in another direction. We wish Keith nothing but the best and trust that his skill and ability will lead him to another promising endeavor.” It’s a nice way of saying goodbye, but at the same time “we ultimately made a business decision” means that they were the ones who decided to move on rather than the other way around.

It was just last week that there were reports about whether or not executives wanted him to alter his style of hosting his show, which the network later denied in a statement.

We are not frequent ESPN viewers, and with that it is hard to come up with a list of possible suitable replacements. However, we’ve long been a fan of “Around the Horn,” and given that Pablo Torre has guest-hosted Olbermann’s show in the past, couldn’t he be a great person to bring on for an intelligent, fun broadcast? Just one suggestion, since it’s very well possible that ESPN could just go in a completely different direction altogether.

As for Olbermann, maybe he goes back to covering politics now that we are near the 2016 election.

If you want to get some further TV news sent right to you, be sure to sign up now for our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ESPN.)