Dan Le Batard leaving ESPN, but assures shaken fans they will hear from him again soon
What has long been rumored and speculated became official Thursday with the news Dan Le Batard and ESPN are mutually parting ways in one month.
The final day on air will be Monday, Jan. 4, for both ESPN Radio’s “Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz” and the televised “Highly Questionable” show that Dan hosted.
The radio show opened Friday morning with the George Michael song, “Freedom,” which begins with this lyric:
I won’t let you down, I will not give you up
Gotta have some faith in the sound
It’s the one good thing that I’ve got
I won’t let you down, so please don’t give me up
Le Batard began the show somberly by saying, “We are drenched in a whole lot of questions...” -- then immediately asking Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill, “Can I still name that hippo after myself?”
Le Batard alluded to having been distracted by personal matters this week (“So what’s going on in sports? Anything?”), but did not directly address that he is leaving ESPN.
In Thursday’s announcement he assured his legion of fans and listeners that he is not retiring and that he will be heard from again on a different platform soon.
“Thank you, Disney and ESPN, for a quarter century of absurd blessings,” Le Batard said Thursday. “To our loyal army of concerned fans, and to everyone who walked along and played an instrument in our Marching Band to Nowhere, know that it is a very exciting time for us, not a sad one. And that you’ll be hearing our laughter again soon enough.”
“Greeny” with Mike Greenberg will fill ESPN’s 10 a.m. to noon radio slot beginning Jan. 5. “Highly Questionable” will remain on the network’s TV lineup air with a contributing team of hosts and guests.
Le Batard and the network had grown apart in recent months with several moves that disappointed Le Batard or caught him by surprise. One was the televised version of the radio show being moved from free TV to subscription-only ESPN+. Another was national show being reduced from three hours to two. Another, more recently, was when Chris Cote, one of the show’s producers, was included among ESPN’s massive layoffs without Le Batard ever being informed or consulted.
Le Batard called that, “the greatest disrespect of my professional career.”
So the buildup to Thursday’s news, to the coming change, had been in the air for a while.
Expect news soon on where Le Batard will be heard after January 4. Many of his long-time crew is expected to be going with him, although he half-kidded on Thursday, “Can’t believe Stugotz has finally achieved his dream of becoming a high-priced free agent.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 4:41 PM.
