Mike Golic Jr.’s departure from ESPN was the big sports media news Tuesday.
According to the New York Post, Golic Jr.’s contract had expired and he turned down a new offer from the network. That ended a seven-year run at ESPN Radio, where he hosted the morning show with his father and Trey Wingo, then moved to afternoons with Chiney Ogwumike, and finally Chris Canty.
As an internal memo explained to affiliates, the plan for now is for Canty to work with a rotating series of co-hosts. On Tuesday, Canty worked with Shea Cornette. And at the beginning of the show, he addressed Golic Jr. leaving ESPN Radio.
“There’s only one place where we have to start today’s show,” said Canty. “As some of you may have heard, Mike Golic Jr. has left ESPN Radio. He is now moving on to other ventures. And we wish him the best in all of his endeavors and everything that’s to come.”
Canty went on to compliment Golic Jr., with whom he worked for six months on ESPN Radio’s afternoon drive-time program.
“He’s super-talented and from a personal standpoint, having worked with him for the past six months, I gotta say he’s the consummate professional and he’s the ultimate teammate,” Canty added. “He will be missed. I wanna wish him well, Shea, because he’s somebody that’s super-talented. And more so than that, he’s just a really good person.”
As we wait to see what’s next for Golic Jr. (Meadowlark Media? The Trey Wingo Presents podcast network?), the question for ESPN Radio becomes who joins Canty on the afternoon show. Will the show stick with rotating hosts, hoping to find the one that works best? Or is this buying time until a new co-host can be found?
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
