Keith Olbermann has lost his job again. ESPN has decided not to renew his contract.
A statement about the decision was posted on ESPN’s website Wednesday evening:
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.
Just last week, The Hollywood Reporter published a piece saying ESPN had asked Olbermann to agree to cease giving “commentary” if he wanted his contract renewed. THR specifically highlighted Olbermann’s attacks on the NFL and its commissioner Ray Goodell in the wake of the Ray Rice domestic violence scandal.
Olbermann has been let go from a string of high profile TV anchor jobs. He was fired from Current for “serial, material breach of contract” in March 2012. His Current TV program, Countdown, was essentially a continuation of his previous show on MSNBC. Olbermann had been fired from MSNBC in January 2011.
Olbermann’s return to ESPN in 2013 was seen as a sort of homecoming. He got his start working as a sports correspondent in the 80s and then came to work for ESPN’s SportsCenter in 1992. Olbermann left ESPN the first time in 1997, a few months after being suspended for making an unapproved appearance on The Daily Show.
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