A report says this upcoming NFL season may be the last we see of Chris Berman on ESPN.
The Big Lead reports that Berman’s contract ends after the football season and that the 61-year-old will retire when his contract expires.
Berman is one of the longest-standing ESPN employees, having been with the company since a month after its inception in 1979. Though he is somewhat viewed now as old, tired and outdated, his nicknames, catchphrases and work on “Sunday NFL Countdown” helped make ESPN what it is. Nobody could read highlights the way he did.
TBL says there is a push for Suzy Kolber to replace him, while Trey Wingo’s name has also been thrown around as a possible replacement. Rather than move on to a different network, Berman is likely to retire.
At 61, Berman certainly is not too old to keep working. However, there may have been some pressure on him to bow out after recent sexual harassment complaints and other videos that have surfaced making him look bad.
UPDATE: Berman’s agent is disputing the report.
Chris Berman's agent denies retirement report:"Chris is NOT retiring. Loves what he's doing too much and is too young to hang 'em up."
— Richard Sandomir (@RichSandomir) May 27, 2016
Berman's agent adds, on retirement report: "Perhaps people with an agenda put it out there."
— Richard Sandomir (@RichSandomir) May 27, 2016
