ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski announced that he is retiring from ESPN and leaving the news industry after 37 years. He joined the company in 2017 and has been among the network’s most revered employees. The unexpected news prompted speculation about whether he had a falling out with ESPN or if they wanted to part ways with the veteran journalist. However, Stephen A. Smith confirmed it’s neither.
After Wojnarowski’s surprise revelation, Smith paid homage to his former colleague on First Take and revealed he decided to leave at his behest. He said,
“He has my profound respect and I just hope that this is a very very happy move and I anticipate that it is because we certainly didn’t ask him to leave, I can assure you of that.”
The 56-year-old added he was grateful that he got the chance to work with someone as driven as Wojnarowski and wished him luck in his future endeavors. The journalist is quitting the news industry but will stay in sports.
He has agreed a deal to become the new general manager of the men’s basketball program at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University. He’ll handle NIL allocation, recruiting and assist head coach Mark Schmidt.