ESPN has let go of another prominent talent who played a pivotal role on ‘College GameDay’, according to reports.
As per Outkick, the network has confirmed that senior vice president Lee Fitting, who had been with ESPN since 1996, is no longer a part of the team. Fitting had overseen significant programs like ‘Monday Night Football’, ‘College GameDay’, the SEC Network, and coverage of the College Football Playoffs.
BREAKING: ESPN Senior Vice President Lee Fitting, who was in charge of ALL of ESPN's football coverage (including MNF, CFP & College GameDay), is OUT at the network just prior to the start of football season, OutKick has learned. https://t.co/i3c7wfyZx3
— OutKick (@Outkick) August 21, 2023
John Ourand of Sports Business Journal has corroborated Fitting’s departure. The company’s head of events and studio production, Norby Williamson, is set to unveil ESPN’s revamped football programming structure in an upcoming meeting next week.
Fitting’s contributions were instrumental in making ‘College GameDay’ one of the most popular football shows on television, winning him multiple Sports Emmy Awards. He recently welcomed betting analyst “Stanford Steve” Coughlin to the team.
In a broader transformation, ESPN’s NFL coverage is undergoing significant changes for the 2023 season due to several key layoffs. Analysts Steve Young and Keyshawn Johnson are no longer with the network, and Suzy Kolber, a longtime host of ‘Monday Night Countdown’, has also exited.
According to reports, Scott Van Pelt is set to assume hosting duties after Kolber’s exit.