“NFL Sunday Countdown” host Samantha Ponder will not be on the show now or in the future after her tenure with her employer suddenly ended last week.
The decision was characterized as a business move made as the network’s fiscal year nears its close.
That decision came with the firing of football analyst Robert Griffin III. Both figures are no longer options for the program.
On Tuesday, ESPN finally announced that Sam Ponder will be replaced by Mike Greenberg, with the quintet of Tedy Bruschi, Randy Moss, Rex Ryan, Alex Smith, and Adam Schefter as studio analysts for the 2024 edition of Sunday NFL Countdown.
The 40th season of the show will also feature reporters on the ground in various stadiums, including Erin Dolan, Jeff Darlington, Dan Graziano, Kimberley A. Martin, Sal Paolantonio, and Lindsey Thiry.
Aside from Samantha Ponder and football analyst Robert Griffin III, no other layoffs were mentioned.
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The 38-year-old Ponder joined the network in 2011 and had served as the host of Sunday NFL Countdown since 2017, replacing legendary ESPN host Chris Berman.
She was entering the final year of a three-year contract reported to be worth more than $3 million. She will still be paid what she is owed from her deal.
Sunday NFL Countdown Has Been A Staple of Football Since The 80s
Fans will have to get used to watching Sunday NFL Countdown without seeing Samantha Ponder after she got fired last week.
The Sunday pregame has seen many faces since it originally debuted in 1985. It did not take long for it to become a signature ESPN series, per Wikipedia.
Ponder, as well as other hosts, were to complete tasks such as introducing the features and discussing storylines associated with the NFL games being played that day.
