It's been less than a month since Linda Cohn said goodbye to ESPN after a storied three-decade run at the SportsCenter desk. But while she got a warm sendoff, the same can't be said for the dozens of others caught in the network's latest round of cuts. And Cohn isn't staying quiet about it.
On her newly launched YouTube show Friday, the legendary anchor unloaded on her former employer, calling the layoffs 'awful' and the way they were handled even worse. 'It's all bad,' she said. 'What made it even worse, if that could be possible, was the way ESPN PR handled it, or mishandled it, because they treated everyone on this latest firing list with zero respect. Zero. Beginning with Ryan Clark.'
Cohn specifically called out the network for letting Clark find out about his dismissal during a live broadcast. 'That whole PR nightmare could have been avoided if Ryan Clark was alerted, how about the night before? And how about before he took the set for NFL Live?' she said. 'If you knew there were media outlets going to break the news and you were concerned about Ryan finding out by looking at his phone during the show, then why didn't you just tell him before the show? That is bumbling and fumbling. That buffoonery electrified this story in a negative way even more.'
Her comments echo similar frustrations from other former ESPN personalities. Jemele Hill also recently blasted the network over what she called 'nefarious' layoff tactics, adding to the chorus of criticism. Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith has sounded the alarm, warning that 'none of us are safe' as the cuts continue.
Cohn also pushed back on the narrative that high-earning stars like Smith or Mike Greenberg are to blame for the layoffs. 'I don't blame them. That narrative is dumb,' she argued. 'That's not the reason. It's ESPN having to pay these bills and living in a world in this broadcasting field, in sports, where you have to compete. And they don't want to be left behind. ESPN does not want to be left behind.'
The recent firings have sent shockwaves through the sports media world, with names like Cam Newton topping the layoff list. The network's president, Jimmy Pitaro, has issued a statement, but for many, the damage is done. Fans have also turned their anger toward Greenberg, blaming him for the cuts, though Cohn says that's misguided.
As the dust settles, the question remains: how will ESPN rebuild trust with its talent and audience? Cohn, for one, hopes the laid-off employees land on their feet soon. 'It can be a cold world out there in this highly-competitive field,' she said.
