Longtime 'SportsCenter' anchor leaving ESPN as staffing changes continue
Front Office Sports's Michael McCarthy reports that Neil Everett, a staple on ESPN's "SportsCenter," is leaving the network after 23 years.
Everett joined the network in 2000 after working local television in Hawaii. He quickly became one of the most-liked anchors on the network, seamlessly picking up on the trendsetting humor and jocularity that historically defined "SportsCenter" from its inception and into the 2000s. When ESPN set up studios in Los Angeles in the latter part of the 2000s, Everett and Stan Verrett moved west, helping give the late-night "SportsCenter" a far more real-time feel for sporting events that took place on the left coast than the shows made back in Connecticut.
ESPN has been trimming staff as a response to cord-cutting and shareholder pressures, with on-air talents either not having contracts renewed or being asked to take less in salary. Per McCarthy:
One source said Everett was offered a new deal at a reduced salary — and turned it down, similar to Kenny Mayne in 2021. Another said his contract was not renewed. In 2021, Mayne told Richard Deitsch of The Athletic that ESPN offered him a 61% paycut.
Verrett, who was Everett's main co-anchor, tweeted appreciation for his soon-to-be former colleague.
The Walt Disney Company has embarked on three separate rounds of layoffs since late March, with 7,000 employees being laid off throughout all its divisions. ESPN has been in "cost-cutting mode" although it has drawn the ire of sports media observers after signing Pat McAfee, the NFL kicker turned media personality, to a new $85M deal in late May.
Everett isn't exactly unemployed, he just has one less gig after his departure from ESPN. He has been working with the Portland Trail Blazers since the 2021-22 NBA season, hosting the team's pre-and-post-game coverage. Team management reportedly would like to utilize him more once his ESPN obligations are done.
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