Norby Williamson Exits ESPN After Nearly Four Decades

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Norby Williamson, the ESPN veteran who has managed everything from NFL coverage to “SportsCenter,” is leaving the Disney sports-media giant abruptly just weeks after being called out on camera in a surprise and unprecedented outburst by daytime host Pat McAfee.

The McAfee contretemps is not at the root of Williamson’s departure, according to a person familiar with the matter, but rather disagreements between the executive and the longer-term strategy being devised by Burke Magnus, who was handed oversight of content and news production in March of last year. “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.” ESPN intends to conduct a search for a new senior content executive, Magnus said.

Williamson’s responsibilities included supervising not only “SportsCenter,” but ESPN Radio, ESPN’s features and investigative units, its newsgathering, and sponsorships.

He had been in his current role since September of 2017. While well-known to sports-media aficionados, Williamson may not be the top name bandied about by the average sports fan.