Craig Kilborn, the charismatic former SportsCenter host who later became a late-night TV staple, has never been one to shy away from a joke. But one particular quip landed him in hot water with ESPN, leading to a week-long suspension without pay. In a recent appearance on Rich Eisen's podcast This Was SportsCenter, Kilborn spilled the details on what went down.
Kilborn, now 63, was nearing the end of his tenure at ESPN when the incident occurred. He admitted he was already feeling burnt out and ready for a change. The trouble started when he requested a "Bristol Day"—a day off that other anchors regularly enjoyed but which he had never taken. "After about two and a half years or so, I said, 'I've never had a Bristol Day,'" Kilborn recalled. "They didn't give me Bristol Days. They gave the other guys Bristol Days, right?"
When he finally got one, the network assigned him to anchor on ESPN2 during a college basketball game. But instead of being on camera, he was tasked with reading scores during breaks. "I would say, 'Creighton is beating Drexel,'" Kilborn explained. "And as I'm doing this, different anchors would text me—they were mocking me." Even Dan Patrick, a fellow ESPN legend, was among those razzing him.
Rather than let the jabs slide, Kilborn fired back. During his next score update, he cheekily announced, "Ohhhh, Kilborn on the Deuce." The remark was a clear dig at ESPN2, and the network wasn't amused. "I got suspended for a week. No pay, suspended for a week. And no explanation," Kilborn said. He believes the network could have handled it better. "In my opinion, they could have brought me in. I would have said, 'Well, these guys are razzing me, so I just wanted to have a little fun.' But they didn't. There was no communication."
Despite the suspension, Kilborn said he wasn't overly concerned because he was already planning his exit. "I said I'm leaving anyway," he noted. The incident underscores the sometimes tense relationship between talent and management at major sports networks. It also echoes other behind-the-scenes dramas, like the recent criticism of Fox's World Cup coverage by a former ESPN boss.
Awful Announcing reached out to ESPN for confirmation of the suspension, but the network declined to comment. Kilborn's story adds a colorful chapter to the history of ESPN's on-air personalities, many of whom have gone on to successful careers elsewhere. For now, the tale of "Kilborn on the Deuce" remains a cautionary one about the risks of poking fun at the network that signs your checks.
