David Roberts is calling it a career. The ESPN Executive Vice President and Executive Editor of Sports News and Entertainment will retire at the end of August after 22 years with the network.
ESPN released a statement confirming a report by The Athletic on Wednesday.
“This has been both a real honor and a blessing to work for and with the most talented people in the industry,” Roberts said. “It has been simply an awesome 22 years.”
Roberts joined ESPN in 2004 as a coordinating producer. He leaves overseeing one of the biggest news operations in sports media. That includes SportsCenter, First Take, Get Up, PTI, NFL Live, ESPN Audio, and podcasting content, among many others.
His resume is hard to argue with. In 2024, he earned a spot in the NATAS Silver Circle honor society as part of the inaugural Sports Emmys class. The year before, he entered the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Hall of Fame.
Roberts also made history long before ESPN. He became the first African American news director in Ohio history at WDTN-TV in Dayton in 1987. He later broke the same barrier in Georgia.
During his ESPN tenure, SportsCenter hit record Q1 2026 viewership across multiple editions. First Take traveled to HBCU campuses for six straight years. He helped launch NBA Today and engineer Rich Eisen’s ESPN return. Roberts also elevated talent including Malika Andrews, Chiney Ogwumike, Andrea Carter, and Christine Williamson.
ESPN President of Content Burke Magnus didn’t mince words. “David Roberts has had a long and extremely distinguished career in this industry,” Magnus said. “He will leave a lasting legacy at ESPN.”
ESPN has not confirmed who will be stepping into Roberts’ role post-retirement. The Athletic reported Wednesday that senior vice president Mike Foss is expected to take on expanded responsibilities
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