Three-time All-American linebacker David Pollack spent four years donning the Georgia Bulldogs uniform and wreaking havoc on opposing football teams.
The Cincinnati Bengals selected the standout defensive player in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. However, Pollack's NFL career was cut short by injury and he walked away from football just two years after being drafted.
After hanging up his cleats, Pollack turned to broadcasting. He landed a job at a now-defunct Atlanta sports radio station, not far from where he was a high school football player. Pollack was eventually hired by ESPN, where he worked for several years with Sam Ponder.
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Former NFL player David Pollack spoke with OutKicks' Dan Dakich, left, about the firing of Sam Ponders. (Fox News)
Ponder's nearly 13-year run at ESPN recently came to an end. “The global leader in sports” parted ways with “Sunday NFL Countdown” host, The athletic reported on August 15.
FORMER NFL REPORTER DOESN'T BELIEVE ESPN'S JUSTIFICATION FOR FIRING SAM PONDER: 'THEY CLEARLY' WANTED HIM TO GO
Pollack joined the OutKick teamDon't @ me! with Dan Dakich” on Wednesday and discussed the circumstances surrounding the firing of his former colleague.
“I think it's hard to always respond to Dan, because you're not always in those rooms and you don't want to assume things,” Pollack said when asked if Ponder's employment ended because his personal views did not align with those of his previous employer.
Sam Ponder attends SiriusXM's Super Bowl LVII on February 10, 2023 in Phoenix. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Pollack added that the TV host was “good at her job.”
“But Sam is good at her job and she's been pretty outspoken, which is good. By the way, there are a lot of people who have been outspoken. I will say this: If you have a certain opinion that's contrary to a company you work for and you share it frequently, a lot of times what will happen is… this is it. It just takes one person who wants to be able to get rid of you.”
ESPN college football analyst and former NFL linebacker David Pollack speaks to the media before GameDay at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi, on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022.
However, Pollack also believes a variety of factors influenced the network's decision to fire Ponder.
“Do I think that was the only reason? No, I don't think that's the only reason. But do I think that kind of thing influences decision making unconsciously or consciously? Of course, in every corporation, in every company, all factors are taken into account.
“But I think we can all look at ourselves and say I'm pretty sure it wasn't based on performance. She's very good at her job, she's professional and she works hard. So obviously there are all kinds of factors that go into making those decisions.”
Samantha Ponder speaks at Inside the Game Q&A presented by IFA on February 2, 2018 in Minneapolis. (Thaddaeus McAdams/WireImage)
Disney’s ongoing effort to explore opportunities to cut costs as the organization’s fiscal year draws to a close prompted the decision to fire the television host, according to The Athletic. Disney is ESPN’s parent company. A source familiar with Ponder’s dismissal also told Fox News Digital that it was a business decision.
Pollack was fired from ESPN in 2023. Earlier this year, Pollack told “The Rick and Bubba Show“Last week, the company cited budget cuts when it learned of his dismissal.
“All I know is that these are budget cuts. It's part of the deal. Typically, that doesn't affect College GameDay,” Pollack said.
Another of Ponder's former colleagues, Sage Steele, weighed in on the situation and expressed his excitement for the now former ESPN employee's future prospects.
Then-ESPN host Sage Steele speaks on set during Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors on June 7, 2019 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. (King Joshua II/NBAE via Getty Images)
“This is another loss for ESPN, but it's a gain for literally the rest of the world because now they're going to see the real Sam Ponder,” Steele said in a video posted on social media. “It's all going to come out and I hope you're ready. She's a gem.”
Steele filed a lawsuit against her then-employer after claiming ESPN had suspended her in retaliation for comments she made related to Disney’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate during a podcast appearance. Shortly after reaching a deal with ESPN in 2023, Sage announced her departure from the company after 16 years.
During the conversation with Pollack, Dakich also mentioned his recent interview with the longtime “College GameDay” analyst. Kirk Herbstreit who said he no longer planned to “bite his tongue” about athletes' participation in sports.
“It's almost like there are two different sets of rules,” Herbstreit told Dakich.
“…and if you have a slightly more traditional view – I'm a Christian – it's like there's a different set of rules for that view and it's hard to just turn the other cheek over and over again. I didn't really care.”
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Ponder has yet to publicly address ESPN's decision to part ways with her.
ESPN also fired former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III last week. He joined the company in 2022 and worked as an analyst on “NFL Live.” He was also a college football analyst and appeared on “Monday Night Countdown.” The former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce was selected as Griffin's replacement on the NFL's pregame show heading into the 2024 season.
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