ESPN is bringing in a familiar face as the new host for the “Sunday NFL Countdown.”
Mike Greenberg will be the new host of the weekly NFL pregame show, ESPN announced Tuesday, replacing Sam Ponder, who was fired by ESPN along with Robert Griffin III last week.
Greenberg, a longtime ESPN employee who formerly hosted “SportsCenter” and the radio show “Mike & Mike” with Mike Golic, currently hosts ESPN’s morning show “Get Up” and the radio show “Greeny” and previously hosted “NBA Countdown.”
The 57-year-old is preferred over Laura Rutledge, who hosts “NFL Live” during the week.
ESPN’s layoffs last week came as a surprise to many as football season begins soon, but according to The Athletic, the moves were made for financial reasons as the company’s fiscal year nears its end.
The broadcaster reported that the 38-year-old Ponder’s contract still had one year left and was worth over a million dollars.
Greenberg will be joined by Tedy Bruschi, Randy Moss, Rex Ryan and Alex Smith on the set of the three-hour show, which begins at 10 a.m.
Ponder’s firing was not well received by some, including former ESPN anchor Michele Tafoya, who says Ponder’s outspoken opposition to transgender women in women’s sports was a factor in the network’s decision.
“I don’t think it’s budget cuts yet,” Tafoya told Fox News on Friday. “I think they clearly wanted to find a way out for Sam. What concerns me is the timing. This is three weeks before the NFL season starts.”
“Their show ‘Sunday NFL Countdown’ just had their best ratings year in a long time, so I don’t know why they’re doing this so close to the season and getting so much attention unless they want to bring in the next host and give that host a lot of attention. But what Sam said in that tweet was so sensible.”
