ESPN, and Grantland in particular, are still feeling the aftershocks of Bill Simmons’s departure. Now, several of Grantland’s staffers are leaving to join up with their old boss.
The well-connected James Andrew Miller has the information, saying that four “highly regarded” Grantland staffers have informed ESPN that they are leaving the site, and ESPN has responded by saying that Grantland remains as strong as ever.
4 highly regarded @Grantland33 staffers turned in resignations today to @ESPN and will be going to work for @BillSimmons
— James Andrew Miller (@JimMiller) October 9, 2015
Response from @espn: "We completely expected turnover which is not at all unusual in this space…"
— James Andrew Miller (@JimMiller) October 10, 2015
"…though we have re-signed seven @Grantland33 staffers in recent weeks. The site's traffic continues to soar." #espn
— James Andrew Miller (@JimMiller) October 10, 2015
There is no word on which four staffers handed in their resignations, and it is unclear what capacity they’ll be working for Simmons in.
While ESPN likely did expect turnover, saying traffic continues to “soar” seems like it may be an overstatement. It remains to be seen how Grantland will hold up, particularly once Simmons launches his new ventures at HBO. Simmons recently claimed that ESPN did not support the website, and it would be interesting to hear if these staffers feel the same way.
