{"id":157476,"date":"2025-06-25T13:57:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T13:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/157476\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T13:57:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T13:57:10","slug":"sam-ponder-opens-up-on-espn-relationships-in-rare-words-after-firing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/157476\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Ponder opens up on ESPN relationships in rare words after firing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sam Ponder is speaking out after being shockingly fired by ESPN<\/a> in August 2024.<\/p>\n

The former host of \u201cSunday NFL Countdown,\u201d who was let go as part of the network\u2019s cost-cutting layoffs last summer, revealed Monday in a fan Q&A on Instagram that she\u2019s still close with her former \u201cCollege GameDay\u201d colleagues, Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis and David Pollack.<\/p>\n

\u201cDavid Pollack is stuck with me as the big brother I never (jk) wanted, and I was texting with Kirk Herbstreit the day before I got fired,\u201d Ponder, 39, said when asked if she still talks to the \u201cCollege GameDay\u201d crew, adding a crying laughing emoji. <\/p>\n

Former ESPN host Sam Ponder explained that she\u2019s still close with her former \u201cCollege GameDay\u201d colleagues, Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis and David Pollack in a fan Q&A on her Instagram Story on Monday. Instagram\/Sam Ponder\/Kirk Herbstreit<\/p>\n

Ponder was fired from ESPN after 13 years with the company. Chris Pizzello\/Invision\/AP<\/p>\n

\u201cRece Davis is my forever favorite. I\u2019ll never forget how all 3 of them loved Jesus and treated people. I will be a \u2018college gameday\u2019 fan as long as they continue to make it about the people. It\u2019s such a special show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Herbstreit reposted her message \u2014 which has since expired \u2014 on his own Instagram Story, according to Athlon Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n

Ponder first joined ESPN in 2011, working mostly in the college football space. She contributed to and hosted \u201cCollege GameDay\u201d from 2012-16, and worked as an in-game sideline reporter in 2016.<\/p>\n

Kirk Herbstreit sits on the set of ESPN \u201cCollege GameDay\u201d prior to the College Football Playoff first round game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers in Columbus on December 21, 2024. Adam Cairns\/Columbus Dispatch \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

She was promoted to \u201cSunday NFL Countdown\u201d in 2017, joining a signature program that airs Sunday mornings prior to 1 p.m. ET kickoffs, with an analyst desk that features Randy Moss, Tedy Bruschi and Rex Ryan.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Mike Greenberg<\/a> \u2014 who also hosts \u201cNBA Countdown\u201d and the daily morning program \u201cGet Up\u201d \u2014 replaced Ponder as the host of \u201cSunday NFL Countdown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ponder, who has yet to announce her next gig, wasn\u2019t the only notable ESPN football personality to be removed from the network\u2019s lineup in advance of the 2024 college and pro campaigns. <\/p>\n

Former Heisman winner Robert Griffin III was also let go with years left on his contract.<\/p>\n

The Liberty University alum joined ESPN in 2011. Getty Images for SiriusXM<\/p>\n

Griffin reportedly landed a job with Fox Sports<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n

Ponder, the wife of former Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder, made waves on social media last summer over controversial female boxer Imane Khelif<\/a>, who won Olympic gold at the Paris Games.<\/p>\n

\u201cENOUGH is what all of us should be saying!! Proud of this woman,\u201d Ponder wrote<\/a>, quoting a post about Italian Angela Carini, who withdrew from her opening bout with Khelif.<\/a><\/p>\n

Ponder also expressed support for President Donald Trump after his assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally last July.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, reports suggest that Ponder was removed not for her political beliefs, but instead for cost-cutting purposes as ESPN alters its programming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sam Ponder is speaking out after being shockingly fired by ESPN in August 2024. The former host of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":157477,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[12,7,10667,6,35583,9,10,203],"class_list":{"0":"post-157476","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-espn","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-kirk-herbstreit","11":"tag-nfl","12":"tag-sam-ponder","13":"tag-sports","14":"tag-sports-entertainment","15":"tag-sports-media"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114744357493358271","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}