Samantha Ponder, Robert Griffin III
Thaddaeus McAdams/WireImage; Arturo Holmes/Getty ImagesSunday NFL Countdown will be missing two notable faces: host Samantha Think and analyst Robert Griffin III.
Ponder, 38, and Griffin, 34, were reportedly fired by ESPN for financial reasons. The Athletics reported on Thursday, August 15, noting that both parties reportedly made “over seven figures.”
The network will honor the remaining contracts of the on-screen talents, but they will no longer appear on-screen. Ponder was in the final year of a three-year deal with ESPN, a source told the outlet, worth an estimated $3 million. She was hired as a replacement in 2017 Chris Berman on Countdown after she previously appeared on the pregame show College GameDay.
For his part, Griffin was hired in 2021 with two years left on his contract. While Griffin was a promising addition, his role at ESPN has been on the decline lately. He was considered for the secondary role of college football game analyst Sean McDonough last season, but the job ultimately went to Greg McElroy. He too was removed Countdown on Monday evening after two years behind the desk. Jason Kelce was hired by ESPN after his retirement from the Philadelphia Eagles to replace Griffin.
We weekly reached out for comment but had not heard back at the time of publication.
Jason Kelce swiped right and found love with Kylie Kelce — even if their first date got off to a rocky start. “[I] definitely fell asleep,” the Philadelphia Eagles athlete recalled on his “New Heights” podcast in September 2023. “I got a little too drunk, but I was sober enough to know that was the most. […]
Neither Countdown star has publicly made a statement about their perspective endings. Griffin seemingly referenced ESPN’s decision with a message at X.
The former quarterback shared a clip from the 1995 film Friday to his feed on Thursday, where John WitherspoonWillie Jones’ character asks Ice cube‘s Craig Jones, “How the heck did you get fired on your day off?”
Many fans rallied to support Griffin in the comments. “Appreciate your sense of humor, RG! On to bigger and better,” one user responded, to which another commenter added: “Respect to you for the way you handled it.”
In 2021, ESPN and Fox became embroiled in a bidding war over Griffin after he decommitted from the Baltimore Ravens. Several sockets reported at the time that the former Heisman Trophy winner’s auditions blew both networks away, although Griffin ultimately decided to sign with ESPN.
