For the second time in his career, Keith Olbermann is leaving ESPN. The network made the decision to not renew the anchor's contract on Wednesday. The final episode of "Olbermann," which airs weekdays on ESPN2, will be broadcast on July 31.
The news was first reported by James Andrew Miller, author of "These Guys Have All The Fun," the oral history of ESPN. ESPN's decision is strictly business-based, according to Miller.
The second @KeithOlbermann era at @espn has come to a close. There will be no new contract. Current deal which was two years ends 7/31.
— James Andrew Miller (@JimMiller) July 8, 2015
This was "business decision" from @espn pov; want parting with @KeithOlbermann to be amicable. — James Andrew Miller (@JimMiller) July 8, 2015
Olbermann has a long, somewhat troubled history with ESPN.
He joined the network as an anchor on "Sportscenter" in 1992. He left under suspicious circumstances in 1998 for MSNBC. Reports at the time said that Olbermann burned many bridges with management on his way out of ESPN's Bristol, Conn., campus. After stints at Fox Sports and a return to new journalism at Current TV and for a second time at MSNBC, Olbermann rejoined ESPN in 2013.
"We wish Keith nothing but the best and trust that his skill and ability will lead him to another promising endeavor," ESPN said in a statement.
Despite the alleged messy history Olbermann has with the network, ESPN management referred to him as a "tremendous talent."
"Keith is a tremendous talent who has consistently done timely, entertaining and thought-provoking work since returning to ESPN," the network said. "While the show's content was distinctive and extremely high quality, we ultimately made a business decision to move in another direction."
Olbermann is the second big name to leave ESPN this year. In May, Bill Simmons, the creator of ESPN's pop culture site Grantland and a driving force behind the network's "30 for 30" documentary series, parted ways with the worldwide leader. Miller noted this, and predicts that later this year one of the only controversial commentators left on ESPN, Colin Cowherd, will also leave.
Big @espn storms come in 3's: @BillSimmons & @KeithOlbermann not renewed. Betting this fall, @ESPN_Colin will announce he's leaving. — James Andrew Miller (@JimMiller) July 8, 2015
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