ESPN has announced that in the wake of the expected Florida State Attorney's press conference on the findings over Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, the appearance by Ron Burgundy, a.k.a. Will Ferrell has been canceled.
Ron Burgundy's SportsCenter appearance Thursday has been canceled in light of breaking news out of Florida State regarding Jameis Winston.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 5, 2013
It's a good idea as you don't want a wisecracking Burgundy/Ferrell on the set trying to make sense of whether Winston committed a crime.
As an ESPN spokesman tweeted, Burgundy/Ferrell's visit won't be rescheduled.
As of this time, there is no reschedule date for Ron Burgundy on @SportsCenter.
— David Scott (@ESPNprDScott) December 5, 2013
This is the risk ESPN took when it began having guest anchors on SportsCenter, something our Matt Yoder warned about when NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson made an appearance last month.
At least in the Ron Burgundy appearance, ESPN had some time to ensure that he would not be on the air when the Winston news breaks. Although it does leave some egg on the faces of everyone involved, this is the smart, journalistically sound move and ESPN should be applauded for showing discretion in this case. However, for the next guest anchor appearance, the network may not be so lucky. Buyer beware.
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