Longtime ESPN Executive Who Pat McAfee Publicly Lambasted, Has Left ESPN
Long-time ESPN executive Norby Williamson is leaving the network after a 40-year run.
Williamson had been charged with overseeing ESPN’s studio programming, ESPN radio, and the network’s newsgathering and sponsorship. He has been in his senior role since September 2017.


Photo: Awful Announcing
While largely operating behind the scenes, a spotlight was put on the ESPN executive when Pat McAfee put Williamson on blast in January.
McAfee Blasted Williamson in January
During the opening of the streaming-exclusive final hour of The Pat McAfee Show on January 6, the host bluntly stated that he believed ESPN Head of Event and Studio Production Norby Williamson was trying to sabotage his show.
“There are folks actively trying to sabotage us from within ESPN,” McAfee said. “More specifically, I believe Norby Williamson is the guy attempting to sabotage our program.”
McAfree’s comments followed a New York Post article indicating that the host’s ratings were not good enough to put up with the controversy he generated.
“That is seemingly the only human that has information, and then somehow that information gets leaked. And it’s wrong and then it sets a narrative of what our show is,” McAfee added. “And then are we just going to combat that from a rat every single time?”


Photo: Fox News
McAfee then explained that his problems with Williamson predated this move to ESPN.
“That guy left me in his office for 45 minutes, no-showed me in 2018,” McAfee said. “So that guy has had no respect for me, and in return same thing to him, for a long time.”


Photo: Bloomberg
Williamson denied any wrongdoing.
A New Era of ESPN
According to Variety, Williamson’s exit was not due to his run-in with McAfee but instead about disagreements that the executive had with the long-term ESPN strategy being developed by Burke Magnus.


Photo:GETTY IMAGES FOR ESPN
“Almost 40 years ago in 1985, I was so very fortunate to be offered an opportunity at ESPN,: Williamson said in a statement that was issued in a memo to staffers Friday. “Due to the exceptional hard work, creativity and commitment of the people of ESPN, and to a much lesser extent my contributions, I’d like to think we’ve left our great company in a far better place than we found it.”
As ESPN enters a new era, it has increasingly given its on-air talent more creative freedom, something that Williamson has been averse to.


Photo: ESPN
While McAfee’s comments may not have been the reason for Williamson’s departure, ESPN’s commitment to personalities like MacAfee seems to be why Williamson is exiting.
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