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Ponder joined ESPN in 2011 and initially served
primarily as a sideline reporter. She became host of "Sunday NFL
Countdown" in March 2017, becoming just the third person to hold
the job in the show's first 32 years and working alongside, most
recently, a panel of former NFL head coach Rex Ryan and retired
players Tedy Bruschi, Randy Moss and Alex Smith.
Potential replacements for Ponder include "NFL Live" host Laura
Rutledge and longtime ESPN personality Mike Greenberg.
Griffin, a former Heisman Trophy winner at Baylor and Pro Bowl
NFL quarterback, had been a college football and NFL analyst at
ESPN since 2021. He worked on the broadcasts of weekly college
football games and joined the "Monday Night Countdown" crew in
2022, but ESPN announced in May that recently retired
Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce would be sliding into
Griffin's spot this fall.
Griffin had been considered a rising star in the industry. The
No. 2 pick of the 2012 NFL Draft by Washington, he appeared in
56 NFL games with three teams over seven seasons.
Per The Athletic, Griffin had two years remaining on his
contract. Multiple outlets reported in March 2022 that Ponder
had signed a three-year deal to remain with the network.
As of early Thursday afternoon, ESPN had not commented on the
report.
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