Don't expect a farewell from Bill Simmons on anything ESPN owns. Simmons and the World Wide Leader reportedly reached an agreement that prohibits him from writing, podcasting and making on-air appearances as an employee of the network.
The Simmons-ESPN split was cold. So cold that Simmons supposedly found out about it on Twitter just as everyone else did. He's been quiet for the most part since ESPN announced last Friday it wouldn't renew his contract, and according to Richard Deitsch, it's part of the deal he subsequently reached with the network.
"SI has learned that ESPN and Simmons have worked out an agreement that officially ends his tenure as a front-facing employee for ESPN," Deitsch wrote Friday. "Simmons sent an email to Grantland staffers this week informing them that he would no longer be working for the site he founded in 2011. Simmons will also no longer do podcasts or appear on television for ESPN.
"An ESPN spokesperson declined comment Friday afternoon when contacted by SI. The Simmons camp has declined all interview requests since last week, including one from SI on Friday."
Deitsch's report answers the second-biggest question regarding Simmons, which was when and how ESPN planned to phase out Simmons. Instead of gradually reducing Simmons's presence as an NBA analyst on TV and as a writer and a podcaster on Grantland, the network apparently opted to completely terminate his role in its front-end operations.
The biggest question still unanswered - and likely to remain that way until after Simmons's contract with ESPN expires in September - is what's next for the divisive commentator. Speculation abounds about whether he'll go to another network such as Fox Sports or Turner, which operates NBA TV and owns both TNT and Bleacher Report, or whether he'll try his hand at another Internet startup.
If you missed why Simmons and ESPN split, and why it was inevitable, check out this article from last week.
UPDATE: ESPN confirmed Friday that Simmons would not make any more appearances - online or on-air - for the network, according to the Miami Herald.
