The Rachel Nichols era at ESPN is officially over.
Andrew Marchand of The New York Post reported on Tuesday that Nichols has reached a settlement agreement with ESPN to terminate their working relationship. She is now free to pursue other opportunities immediately.
Nichols first worked for ESPN from 2004 to 2013, appearing on a number of NFL and NBA shows. After a three-year departure, she returned to ESPN in 2016 and became one of their top NBA personalities, including hosting her own show “The Jump.” But Nichols’ relationship with the network became strained last year over leaked comments that she made about ex-ESPN colleague Maria Taylor.
Nichols was ultimately removed from all of ESPN’s NBA programming, and her show “The Jump” was cancelled (it has since been replaced by the show “NBA Today” with new hosts). Marchand adds that Nichols had one year left on her contract at ESPN but that the network had no intention of using her after her removal. She was making in the range of $1.5 million to $2 million per year at ESPN, Marchand says.
Now that Nichols is no longer with ESPN, we already know of one potential job opportunity that may be awaiting her.
Mar 19, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; truTV broadcaster Rachel Nichols (center) interviews Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller (left) against the Texas Southern Tigers during the first half in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
