ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Hints at More Layoffs: ‘I Could Be Next’

Nick Caruso

Sports analyst Stephen A. Smith has responded to the laying off of more than a dozen of ESPN’s on-air personalities, and fears that more layoffs could very well be in the works. The staffers were all dropped by the network at the end of June as part of an overall cost-cutting measure at the network.

“ESPN laid off about 20 members of its on-air talent… friends of mine, actually, definitely respected colleagues who’d done a phenomenal job and deserved better,” he said on The Stephen A. Smith Show. “It’s not Disney or ESPN that they deserved better from, they deserved better than the times we’re living in.”

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The First Take co-host made mention of Jalen Rose, in particular, saying that he had been doing an “outstanding job for us covering the NBA for years.”

“Got a lot of love for that brother,” said Smith. “A lot of the great work he’s done over the years, what he’s represented for the company… I’m going to miss him. Jalen Rose has always been good to me and I loved working with him on NBA Countdown. He is a brilliant basketball mind, he is somebody that worked his ass off all the time. There was never an assignment he backed away from, there was never a time he didn’t want to work.”

Smith also predicted that these would not be the only layoffs at the cabler.

“If we’re going to be real about it, let’s deal with reality,” he said. “This ain’t the end, more is coming. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, I could be next.”

In addition to Rose, the other ESPN personalities that were let go include Jeff Van Gundy, Max Kellerman, Keyshawn Johnson, Matt Hasselbeck, Chris Chelios, Steve Young, Rob Ninkovich, Neil Everett, Ashley Brewer, Joon Lee, LaPhonso Ellis, Todd McShay and Jason Fitz.

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