Michelle Beadle explains why she left NBC

You're well aware of the Michelle Beadle machinations between September of last year through this month that led NBCSN to cancel her show to her eventual departure from the network to her triumphant return to ESPN last week. During that time, Beadle had been silent and was kept to Access Hollywood until she made her return to ESPN. She was finally able to speak about her experiences at NBC and why she came back to ESPN in the latest edition of Linda Cohn's ESPN podcast. 

Beadle told Cohn how her relationship with NBC Sports Group went downhill:

"Now on the sports side of things over there … from the minute they started my show (The Crossover) to putting me with someone I didn't want (Dave Briggs) to .. you know .. just everything. It was completely not what I thought I was going over there to do. And then you throw on top of that a complete clashing of personalities with myself and some suits .. you know .. then you just find youself in a bad situation.

"So when they canceled my show over there, I made it pretty clear that I would no longer be interested in doing anything for them. I think the idea was they were going to fill me in in spots and that's not why I left. I didn't leave the best sports network in the world to go be a fill-in somewhere else… It was kind of ugly and kind of tense."

She added that NBC let her out of her contract early and ESPN was happy to bring her back. Beadle said that this is the happiest she's been in two years, but she also got a reality check after being gone from ESPN for two years: 

"It's very humbling when you go away and people don't even realize you've been on television for the last two years .. it's like .. yeah, I was still on TV."

Cohn also addressed her statement to TMZ during Super Bowl Week about women who use sports as a stepping stone to go to entertainment shows. Cohn as she was leaving the media headquarters in New York, a TMZ representative approached her to ask her who would win the Super Bowl and about people she admired in the business. Linda said the TMZ person then asked about Erin Andrews and others who are in both sports and entertainment. Cohn explained that she normally used Entertainment Tonight as a reference, but not knowing it it was still on the air, she pulled Access Hollywood and TMZ turned it around as a shot against Beadle. 

Both women laughed it off and noted that they both knew it was not a reference to Beadle.

So summing up, Beadle is gone from NBC. She's back at ESPN and happy to be there. And Beadle and Cohn are still friends. The earth can go back to spinning at its normal orbit.

[Listen Closely to Linda Cohn]