Keith Olbermann exits ESPN again!
The TV personality, who reunited with the sports network in Aug. 2013, will not be renewing his contract to host his show in the ESPN2 lineup. This latest update came after The Hollywood Reporter noted that ESPN leadership gave a highly complicated condition for the continuation of Olbermann's two-year deal: The anchor needs to stop engaging in "commentary" on his talk show "Olbermann."
Huffington Post reported that executives of the company chose to release Olbermann when his contract ends this month rather than axe him from his show.
The problem between Keith Olbermann and ESPN likely stemmed from the anchor's negative assessment of the way NFL handled the Ray Rice domestic abuse issue that erupted last summer.
Rice was caught on an elevator video punching Janay Palmer, his fiancée at the time, in the face. The NFL had just implemented a two-game suspension on the Baltimore Raven star when the video surfaced. Olbermann repeatedly criticized NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, even calling on for his resignation.
According to TV Guide, the network issued a statement saying, "Keith is a tremendous talent who has consistently done timely, entertaining and thought-provoking work since returning to ESPN. While the show's content was distinctive and extremely high quality, we ultimately made a business decision to move in another direction. We wish Keith nothing but the best and trust that his skill and ability will lead him to another promising endeavor."
Olbermann is not the only one from ESPN who has been censorious of Goodell and the league. Bill Simmons, another network personality, also criticized Goodell profanely and it was likely the cause of his departure after working with the network for 15 years. Simmons was responsible for the creation of the online site Grantland, and he was the co-creator of the documentary series "30 for 30."
Keith Olbermann will be seen on his ESPN show until the end of July.
