Linda Cohn thinks ESPN’s leaking information problem isn’t a mistake. She believes it’s the network’s choice as she sat down for an interview with former ESPN SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast.
What We Know: Cohn retired from ESPN in June after more than three decades at the anchor desk. She and former SportsCenter colleague Neil Everett discussed the recent network’s layoffs on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast. The cuts hit over 150 staffers, including Ryan Clark, Karl Ravech and David Lloyd. Cohn argued ESPN’s PR team let Clark’s story eclipse everyone else affected, but also shared her concerns about the amount of leaked information ahead of the network’s execution of the layoffs.
What They Said: (All quotes via Sports Media with Richard Deitsch)
Linda Cohn on ESPN not caring to be better about not leaking information about layoffs: “When you’d hear things, or you hear things through the grapevine that something is going to go down, my first gut instinct is always like, “It’s there must be a method to this madness that they do.” It’s intentional. It’s not an accident because it keeps happening. This is not a one and done situation. So I haven’t really given it much thought, other than you know it’s business as usual. You would think they would have learned how to prevent the leak. So if they hadn’t learned that, it tells me they don’t want to learn it, and that they were intentionally responsible for it.”
Linda Cohn believes the handling of Ryan Clark’s departure overshadowed everyone else cut: “The way they handled the Ryan Clark situation that got all the headlines. So a guy like Karl Ravech, who, by the way, I haven’t talked with in years. We used to be friends. It was an afterthought. He was there 33 years. He was the heartbeat of their baseball coverage, and it was an afterthought. It was like, oh, by the way, Karl Ravech is laid off. Oh, by the way, David Lloyd, a guy I worked with a lot on SportsCenter. It became an oh by the way, the other people and the 150 other people who are behind the scenes. That got me really pissed off.”
Neil Everett on hot take culture leading to overshadowing of others who departed ESPN: “That’s the hot take part of this. What’s happened? The guy with the hot takes on the hot take show becomes the hot take. Whereas David Lloyd, who just nicest guy in the building, talented beyond all belief. He just goes and does his job on SportsCenter, which used to be appointment viewing. Then when it’s time for him to go and Karl Ravech, who did SportsCenter and batting lead off on baseball. Well, baseball’s out, Karl’s out. There’s no hot take with those guys, but there’s a hot take with the football player.”
Neil Everett on the changing culture of ESPN: “What are we doing? Pat McAfee betting on you know where LeBron’s going to go because he’s got the info from Shams [Charania]. I mean it’s like come on. It’s a different game than the one we played. So, we’re not playing it anymore and good luck to those that are playing it. Don’t piss into the wind and tell me it’s raining.”
What Remains Unclear: Neither Cohn nor Everett offered proof that ESPN leaks staff news on purpose. The podcast didn’t address whether ESPN’s PR team has changed procedures since the layoffs occurred.
What It Means: Layoffs are never easy. Moreover, when employees are finding out about their departure before being told by the network. That’s a problem. Cohn’s comments push the leak criticisms last week even further, framing it as deliberate rather than careless. That reading, if accurate, suggests ESPN prioritizes headlines over consistent, respectful communication with staff. Together, their remarks showcase how talent hope to be treated when the end comes without any actions done by the employee to deserve it.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.