ESPN cuts ties with senior exec whom Pat McAfee called out

Pat McAfee. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

ESPN cuts ties with senior exec whom Pat McAfee accused of sabotaging his show

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 4/5/24

Two months to the day that Pat McAfee called out Norby Williamson for allegedly trying to sabotage “The Pat McAfee Show,” the longtime ESPN executive is no longer with the network, according to The New York Post.

According to the Post, Williamson and Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of content, weren’t on the same page regarding the best long-term vision for the network’s programming, prompting Magnus to decide to cut ties with Williamson long before his contract was scheduled to run out in early 2027.

Norby Williamson is out at ESPN.

First reported by @sportsrapport

Here is a memo from ESPN president of content Burke Magnus: pic.twitter.com/LIsGjdUYlG
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) April 5, 2024

Williamson, who worked at ESPN for nearly four decades, was in charge of the network’s studio and production departments. He sent a memo to ESPN employees explaining his departure.

The 60-year-old Williamson had a reputation for butting heads with several of ESPN’s top on-air personalities. McAfee and his show were added to the ESPN lineup last May in a multi-year deal, but he publicly called Williamson out in January for trying to paint “The Pat McAfee Show” in a negative light.

“There are folks actively trying to sabotage us from within ESPN,” McAfee said. “More specifically, I believe Norby Williamson is the guy attempting to sabotage our program … Somebody tried to get ahead of our actual ratings release with wrong numbers 12 hours beforehand. That’s a sabotage attempt, and it’s been happening … from some people who didn’t necessarily love the old addition of ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ to the ESPN family.”

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