When ESPN revamped, reshuffled, and then eventually canceled High Noon, it seemed like the writing was on the wall for Bomani Jones and Pablo Torre.
Their contracts were set to be up, and from the outside, a path to new deals seemed unlikely. After all, if ESPN wanted them to stay, canceling a well-regarded show isn’t typically the best way to show that. And Jones and Torre are both gifted across multiple formats and would certainly be in demand; why would they want to stay somewhere that just canceled them?
Of course, that was a February perspective. Things feel a lot different now in sports and sports media, which makes today’s news that Jones and Torre will remain with ESPN a bit more understandable. The news was reported by Andrew Marchand in the New York Post, and according to Marchand, their exact roles going forward are still up in the air.
Sources say both Jones and Torre have new contracts to stay with ESPN after the network pulled the plug on the duo’s debate program, “High Noon.”
Jones and Torre will not be a tandem, but their roles will be similar with components that include contributing on video and audio. They will contribute to shows like “Highly Questionable,” “Around The Horn” and “Pardon The Interruption,” as well as appear on “SportsCenter.” They will have some radio opportunities, as well as podcasts and writing. ESPN declined comment.
Torre and Jones are both so versatile that having them around in a variety of roles obviously makes a lot of sense for ESPN. Whatever their roles are, Marchand notes that they likely won’t be part of any attempt to rebuild the ESPN Radio schedule, which is likely coming in the near future.
While Jones and Torre will have some radio roles, it is not expected at this time that they will be a part of a potential new national lineup.
Jones and Torre, meanwhile, get stability. That’s not nothing right now, given the state of the sports world. (Or just the world, really.) High Noon might not be coming back, but ESPN is still a much better place with Pablo and Bomani than it would have been without them.
