On Thursday, the sports media world was shocked when ESPN abruptly fired star personalities Robert Griffin III and Sam Ponder just weeks before the start of the NFL season. The firings were attributed to cost-cutting measures at the end of ESPN’s fiscal year according to The Athletic, but the timing just before the start of the new football season where both Ponder and RGIII take leading roles in Bristol’s NFL and college football coverage is eyebrow-raising to say the least.
One of the areas where Ponder and RGIII are very active is on social media, specifically X. Ponder has on more than one occasion stepped her toes into the water of the transgender sports debate, aligning herself with the “Save Women’s Sports” crowd. Griffin has… I’m not even sure how you can describe RGIII’s social media persona except that it’s unique.
If there was one to comment on the situation in the hours around the firings, it was likely to be RGIII. True to form, he responded with a trademark meme after the news became public.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 15, 2024
You really have to admire someone who is willing to post a meme and make people laugh on a day when he gets fired from his job on national television.
But what’s more interesting is a post that RGIII shared on X earlier in the day that was much more cryptic. Before sharing back to school pics and NFL news, Griffin tweeted, “There are people in your circle saying they want you to win, but doing everything they can to make you lose. Don’t be afraid to cut people off when they keep handing you the scissors.”
Hmmm….
There are people in your circle saying they want you to win, but doing everything they can to make you lose. Don’t be afraid to cut people off when they keep handing you the scissors.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 15, 2024
The original report from The Athletic noted that Griffin was informed on Thursday morning that he would be relieved of his duties at ESPN so the timing of that being some kind of response before the news went public later in the day isn’t out of the question. RGIII was seen as a quickly rising star at ESPN, but something happened this year that sent him down the pecking order, first being replaced by Jason Kelce on Monday Night Countdown, and then let go altogether.
Both Ponder and Griffin will certainly be sought after by ESPN’s competitors, although it may be tough to see them landing a high-profile job so close to the season when networks already have their lineups set. In Griffin’s case, it will be fascinating to see if his social media pages get even more outlandish now that he’s a free agent.
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