Sara Cardona explains why she left NBC 6. And more sports media changes
For the second time in recent months, a prominent female sportscaster has left a local TV job.
Weeks after Samantha Rivera departed CBS 4 to join ESPN, NBC 6 lead sportscaster Sara Cardona has left to take a job as a “sports content partner and brand ambassador” for Hard Rock Bet, an online sportsbook and casino and the state’s only legal sportsbook.
Hard Rock Bet said the “partnership positions Sara Cardona as Hard Rock Bet’s embedded sports correspondent — bilingual, on-the-ground, and covering the moments that matter most. The deal is built around Sara doing what she already does naturally: sharp sports analysis, authentic fan-first storytelling, and genuine on-camera presence, in both English and Spanish.”
Cardona, who received a raise from her NBC 6 job, said several factors contributed to her decision.
For starters, “I was burnt out,” she said. “Working weekends, holidays and then just the 2 to 11:30 schedule is a grind, and I admire those that have been doing it for a long time because it’s not easy at all.”
Also, working in local news prevented her from accepting sponsorship deals. Hard Rock will permit her to do that.
“I’m grateful to NBC 6 and loved the people I worked with [but]... in the age of social media there’s a lot of opportunities that unfortunately local news talent aren’t allowed to do due to our contracts,” she said.
Also, she will now be able to split her time between Miami and Nashville, where her parents live.
“As I get older I want to spend more time with them,” she said. “That’s very important to me.”
Cardona, who was born in Colombia, joined NBC 6 in June 2023 after previous stops at the ABC station in Lexington, Kentucky, the Fox station in Nashville and the CBS station in Gainesville. Cardona, who plans to do some freelance reporting TV work, also has worked for ESPN as a sideline reporter for Conference USA college basketball and college football games.
NBC 6 hasn’t decided how it will replace her.
Giselle Espinales, who is the station’s No. 2 sportscaster, is an option for the lead job, if the station even names a lead sportscaster. Espinales is married to WPLG 10 lead sportscaster Will Manso.
Gio Del Fa, who is covering the World Cup for Telemundo, has appeared on NBC 6 sports segments in a freelance role over the past year and would be an option for an expanded role on the English side. Like Espenales, he’s also bilingual.
Trish Christakis — who joined NBC 6 for a hybrid news/sports role last December after CBS 4 made cuts in its newsroom — has handled more sports responsibilities since Cardona left last month and possibly could emerge as a candidate for an expanded role in sports.
Since losing Rivera to ESPN, CBS 4 hasn’t named a permanent backup to Mike Cugno, but Jalen Gilkey continues to serve in that role.
More personnel moves
Some quick hits on other TV personnel news: Linda Cohn, who has anchored more episodes of “SportsCenter” than anyone in history, is retiring after 34 years at ESPN. The network will send her off with several tributes on Friday…
Former Patriots and Dolphins safety Jason McCourty, who had been splitting his time between CBS’ No. 4 NFL team and ESPN’s NFL studio, agreed to an exclusive deal with ESPN, in part because of a desire to reduce his travel. With McCourty leaving and Charles Davis replacing the retired Gary Danielson on CBS’ lead college team, the network must find a new No. 4 analyst, alongside play-by-player Andrew Catalon…
If you missed it, CBS hired Russell Wilson and Kyle Long to join James Brown, Nate Burleson and Bill Cowher in its NFL studio. Wilson and Long replace Matt Ryan, who left for an executive job with the Atlanta Falcons....
Besides losing Mark Jones, ESPN also lost talented college football play-by-player Dave Fleming, who left to join MLB coverage on Peacock and NBC-SN…
Matt Barrie is replacing Laura Rutledge on the popular SEC Nation pregame show on SEC Network, allowing Rutledge to focus primarily on the NFL…
ESPN NBA reporter Tim Bontemps is in advanced talks to join the Atlanta Hawks’ front office, per Front Office Sports.
A passing to note
Former Marlins president David Samson, who has become a media personality in recent years, disclosed on X that his daughter, Kyra, has died at 28 after a battle with brain cancer.
“Yesterday, my daughter, Kyra, passed away peacefully after a 9 month and 11 day fight against one of the cruelest diseases I’ve ever seen up close,” Samson posted on Wednesday. “She was diagnosed with brain cancer, specifically Glioblastoma. I have felt all of your concern and love for these months and wasn’t ready to be anymore specific than I was.
“Kyra was a 28-year-old young woman who loved deeply and who is impossible to describe in 280 characters. While her life got stolen from her, she handled these months with courage, poise, and resolve. And all I want is for no family to feel what we feel today. For no young person to suffer the way she did.
“In lieu of flowers, if you are moved to make a memorial gift, please consider ‘The Kyra Fund’ (tfundraise.gbmresearch.org/thekyrafund). This fund will be used solely to research treatments for Glioblastomas.”
Samson, in an off-air conversation earlier this year, said she became sick on Sept. 12 and had emergency surgery at 4 a.m. the next day.
“I am crushed,” he said in that conversation earlier this year. “It’s an unimaginable nightmare.”
Samson left his podcast for two weeks last September after the diagnosis. He acknowledged a serious family medical issue after his return but did not elaborate.
“There is life before the phone call and life after the phone call, and there is never going back,” he said on air. “You figure out what a new normal can be.”
Samson left the Marlins in 2017 after the team was sold to Bruce Sherman. Since then, he has worked as a commentator for CBS-HQ, hosted the “Nothing Personal” podcast, and has co-hosted the “Sporting Class” show alongside John Skipper and Pablo Torre at Meadowlark Media.
Condolences to Samson, Kyra’s mother Cindi and the Samson family.
This story was originally published June 24, 2026 at 2:36 PM.
