Kenny Mayne leaving ESPN after 27 years with network

One of ESPN’s most familiar and longest-serving faces will be leaving the network.

Kenny Mayne, who has been at ESPN since 1994, announced Monday that he will be departing the network. Mayne referred to himself as a “salary cap casualty,” and did not give any hint as to what he has planned next.

I am leaving ESPN.
Salary cap casualty.
Thanks for the opportunity Vince Doria & Al Jaffe & for taking my solicitations
Herman/Stinton/Lynch.

I will miss the people.
I will miss the vending machine set up over by the old Van Pelt joint.
We had everything.

IntoTheGreatWideOpen#

— Kenny Mayne (@Kenny_Mayne) May 10, 2021

Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported that ESPN had asked Mayne to take a pay cut in order to remain with the network, which he declined to do.

ESPN did make Kenny Mayne an offer, according to a source. It was a pay cut.

This is a trend in many of its negotiations as it tries to "market corrects" what it views as exorbitant salaries.

— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) May 10, 2021

Mayne became familiar to sports fans through his dry sense of humor and his numerous appearances as an anchor on “SportsCenter.” He has hosted numerous other programs for the network, including the popular web series “Kenny Mayne’s Wider World of Sports.”

There have been plenty of big changes at ESPN in the last couple years, with plenty of network stalwarts departing for various reasons. Mayne is just the latest in that department.