Jason Whitlock is negotiating to leave ESPN before his contract ends officially, possibly as early as the next few weeks, according to several sources. Whitlock has had informal talks with Fox Sports that could see him return to work with former ESPN exec Jamie Horowitz, who currently is Fox Sports National Networks President. Neither ESPN nor Fox Sports would comment for this story. Whitlock’s possible role at Fox Sports is not known, but if he moves over to Fox Sports, it is expected to include both a television role on FS1 and regular contributions on FoxSports.com. Earlier this month, former ESPN Radio host Colin Cowherd signed a four-year deal with Fox Sports that will include roles on both television and radio.
ESPN hired Whitlock two years ago from Fox Sports to be the founding editor of The Undefeated, a yet-to-launch boutique website that will set out to cover the intersection of sports and race. The site suffered through several delays and amid many reports of internal dissension, ESPN replaced Whitlock as the site’s top editor. The fact that Whitlock’s job has changed from the one he was hired to do is the impetus behind him seeking to leave his deal early.
Whitlock remains under contract for at least another year to ESPN, which continues to place him on its highest profile shows. This summer, Whitlock has made regular appearances as a fill-in host on ESPN’s highest-rated studio show, “PTI.” Shows featuring Whitlock this summer generally pulled in close to the same number of viewers as the ones with regular hosts Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon. ESPN, though, has been looking to cut costs recently and has let high profile talent like Cowherd, Bill Simmons and Keith Olbermann leave this summer.
