ESPN sideline press reporter Maria Taylor interviews Grayson Allen #3 of the Duke Blue Devils following the video game versus the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina.
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ESPN revealed on Wednesday that Maria Taylor will leave the network, a choice that follows her associate Rachel Nichols recommended Taylor got a hosting task since of her race.
ESPN stated in a declaration Wednesday that Taylor’s last task was the NBA Finals telecast on Tuesday and her agreement is now over. ESPN stated the 2 sides might not settle on a brand-new agreement.
“Maria’s remarkable success speaks directly to her abilities and work ethic. There is no doubt we will miss Maria, but we remain determined to continue to build a deep and skilled talent roster that thoroughly reflects the athletes we cover and the fans we serve,” stated Jimmy Pitaro, the chairman of ESPN. “While she chose to pursue a new opportunity, we are proud of the work we’ve done together.”
Taylor, 34, most likely landed a brand-new task at NBC, according to the New York Post, and she is anticipated to part of the network’s Olympics protection that starts on Friday.
Taylor might likewise possibly end up being the host of “Football Night in America,” a pre-game program on NBC, or have a function on Notre Dame football this season if the NBC agreement is settled, the Post reported.
“So thankful to Jimmy and all of my great teammates and friends at the SEC Network, ‘College GameDay’, Women’s and Men’s college basketball, and the ‘NBA Countdown’ family — the people who believed in me, encouraged me, pushed me, and lifted me up,” Taylor stated in the declaration on Wednesday. “Words are inadequate to express my boundless appreciation, and I hope to make them proud.”
The statement comes weeks after the New York Times exposed information of a July 2020 telephone call with Nichols and Adam Mendelsohn, the interactions consultant to Los Angeles Lakers super star LeBron James.
The discussion was tape-recorded in Nichols’ hotel space in Florida without her understanding and was fed into ESPN’s control space in Connecticut from her electronic camera. Nichols grumbled to Mendelsohn about Taylor getting a task hosting ESPN’s pregame and postgame protection of the 2020 NBA Finals, declaring that the network was attempting to offset its “crappy longtime record on diversity.” Nichols is white and Taylor is Black.
The recording started flowing within ESPN quickly after the call. Nichols was gotten rid of from ESPN’s NBA playoffs protection previously this month and her popular NBA program, “The Jump,” did not air for one day.
Nichols has actually supposedly asked forgiveness straight to Taylor however was rebuffed.
Disclosure: CNBC moms and dad NBCUniversal owns NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. NBC Olympics is the U.S. broadcast rights holder to all Summer and Winter Games through 2032.
