Odds and Sods

ESPN has fired NFL analyst Sean Salisbury after 12 years at the network.

Salisbury released the following statement.

“I want to thank ESPN for 12 great years of talking football on TV and the radio. I have grown as much as I can at ESPN and decided to expand my horizons. I have created a brand and it’s time to expand into other opportunities in TV, radio, Internet, publishing, movies and public speaking, among others. My resume speaks for itself as a football analyst, and I believe I can talk all sports with the best of them.”

Rumors abounded in January that the World-Wide Leader had suspended Salisbury - for photographing his penis with a cell-phone camera and exposing it to women.

Salisbury’s reported replacement is former wide receiver Cris Carter, last seen being hosed by the Hall of Fame selection committee. It is unclear if Carter’s duties will include moralistic locker-room ethics rants and recycling “nerd” and “crypt-keeper” jokes at John Clayton’s expense. But, Odds and Sods will keep you posted.

Update: The Big Lead has deduced two theories.  The first is that Salisbury felt hamstrung and pigeonholed by ESPN because of his lack of star power.  He asked the network for a seven-figure contract, knowing full well it would lead to his mutual termination. 

“I’d grown tired of being punished for not being an NFL superstar,” Salisbury told the LA Times. ” Analysts who don’t work as hard as me, don’t prepare as hard as me, and don’t have my resume were making more than me just because of their ability to throw or catch a football. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated the opportunity ESPN gave me, but they had capped my ceiling. There was only so far I could go there.”

The other theory relates to the Harold Reynolds lawsuit.  Execs felt that Salisbury’s continued employment after cell phone - gate might leave them liable to charges that they singled out Reynolds for bad behavior while tolerating others.