from Tim Baysinger of thewrap.com:
One of ESPN’s longtime faces is leaving the network. Trey Wingo, who hosted “SportsCenter” and the network’s NFL Draft coverage over a two-decade tenure, is exiting the network after his contract was not renewed.
The decision not to re-up Wingo’s contract came as part of ESPN’s massive job cuts, the New York Post reported earlier this month(the NY Post also reported back in September that Wingo was being let go). The host’s departure was not confirmed until today, which is also his last day at the network.
“I can barely remember a day which didn’t involve working side by side with this guy. @wingoz has been an incredible teammate & friend for more than 2 decades. On today, his last day at ESPN, I along with many others, salute him and wish him all the best in his next chapter,” said Seth Markman, ESPN’s vice president of production and lead producer on NFL telecasts.
Also Read:Top ESPN Documentary Executive Libby Geist to Exit
The Disney-owned network is in the midst of laying off 300 staffers and scrapping 200 open positions in an effort to shift more resources toward ESPN’s direct-to-consumer business strategy, digital content and “continued innovative television experiences.” Wingo’s exit follows the departures of top documentary executives Connor Schell and Libby Geist, though neither of those were related to the job cuts. Wingo becomes the most high-profile ESPN personality to lose his job during the restructuring.
Wingo began at ESPN in 1997 as a play-by-play broadcaster for the Arena Football League. Along with “SportsCenter,” he hosted the network’s NFL coverage, which included the Draft and the studio shows “NFL Primetime” and “NFL Live.” He also replaced Mike Greenberg as Mike Golic’s ESPN radio cohost, after Greenberg moved into TV with the morning show “Get Up!” Wingo left the radio show earlier this year.
