Popular ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt will be the new host of the network’s Monday Night Football Countdown show.
That’s according to sports media reporter Richard Deitsch with The Athletic. Andrew Marchand, a sports business reporter for the New York Post said that the finalists for the job were Van Pelt and Laura Rutledge.
The job came open when ESPN trimmed its on-air talent by more than 20 people. Suzy Kolber, a long-time ESPN anchor and reporter, was the host. But the network laid her off along with her fellow panelist Steve Young.
Scott Van Pelt already anchors the late night SportsCenter after Monday Night Football, which serves as the de factor post-game show. The Post reported that he’s expected to keep that gig with the pre-game show duties.
However, ESPN may be re-doing how it presents its countdown show. Since the network started broadcasting the NFL game in 2006, the countdown show goes live from the site of the contest. But Van Pelt, who has worked for ESPN since 2001, always does the post-game show from a studio in Washington, D.C. It’s unclear what the logistics will be going forward.
Rutledge, believed to be the only other finalist. hosts the network’s NFL Live daily show.
ESPN likely still is looking for someone to fill Steve Young’s role. Booger McFarland and Robert Griffin III were on the panel last season. The network already has several former NFL players who could talk about and analyze the game of the week in a countdown show format.
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