2024-08-16 03:25:01
One day after coming to Florida State’s defense against a colleague, Robert Griffin III has reportedly been fired from ESPN.
He’s not the only one with FSU ties to be let go from the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” on Thursday. Samantha Ponder, wife of former FSU quarterback Christian Ponder, also was fired in what The Athletic reported were budget cuts.
Griffin’s ouster was the most surprising, as he was fired with two years remaining on his contract. The 2011 Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor was recently considered a rising star among football analysts, with his excitement during games mirrored perhaps only by Tony Romo. Griffin was also active on social media, leading to a recent scuffle with fellow ESPN personality Paul Finebaum.
ESPN declined to comment about the firings to The Athletic and did not respond to Griffin’s comments about Finebaum.
Robert Griffin III fired a day after defending FSU football from Paul Finebaum
Griffin’s time at ESPN seemed to be running out after he was replaced on “Monday Night Countdown” with Jason Kelce before this season. Another incident may have highlighted why the network decided to part ways with him.
On Tuesday, Finebaum appeared on a “First Take” segment and said Florida State would finish the season unranked in part because of a “hangover” from missing the College Football Playoff last season.
“I think they used too many tears crying about not getting in the playoffs, and that may slow them down a little bit this year,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter.
The following day, Griffin posted a retort on the social media site formerly known as Twitter. “Anyone who is throwing shade at or trying to take cheap shots at Florida State for being left out of the College Football Playoff last year must be out of touch with reality,” he wrote.
“The players on that team, the coaches, their families and the fans certainly were crying tears for one of the most beloved players in all of college football in Jordan Travis,” he continued. “… That team should be CELEBRATED for what they pulled off down the stretch not mocked.”
While he didn’t refer to Finebaum by name, he certainly didn’t shy away from assertions that he was.
Griffin has another tie to Florida State: His wife, Grete Griffin, was on the FSU track and field team from 2013-16. She set the school record for the pentathlon and heptathlon in 2015.
RG3 was taken with the No. 2 pick by Washington in the 2012 NFL Draft. He played seven seasons in the NFL, his career stagnated by injuries he suffered during his stellar rookie season.
Sam Ponder, wife of FSU quarterback Christian Ponder, fired from ESPN
Sam Ponder was ESPN’s other high-profile budgetary cut Thursday, according to The Athletic. Ponder hosted “NFL Countdown.”
She is the wife of Christian Ponder, who played quarterback at FSU from 2007-10. He threw for 6,872 yards and 49 touchdowns with 30 interceptions in four seasons with the Seminoles. He was drafted 12th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2011 NFL Draft, playing four seasons in the NFL.
