ESPN EVP of Production Norby Williamson, who helped build SportsCenter into a signature franchise but recently had a public clash with Pat McAfee, is departing after nearly 40 years at the network.

Burke Magnus, President of Content, relayed the news to employees in a memo Friday morning. (Read it in full below.) Magnus said the Disney sports division would soon be conducting “a full search for a new senior content executive.” He also saluted Williamson’s “steadfast commitment and attention to detail, Norby has had a lasting impact on the sports fans’ experience.”

A statement from Williamson was also included in the internal memo. “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,” the statement said.

Through a number of turbulent periods for ESPN, especially in recent years as a number of top execs and talent exited and Disney’s company-wide efforts to trim costs took effect, Williamson remained a steady figure. In recent months, however, friction with McAfee also spilled into public view. The high-paid host, whose YouTube-based show was picked up by ESPN last year for a reported $85 million over five years, named Williamson on a January 2024 episode, blaming the exec for leaking negative information and “actively trying to sabotage us.”

McAfee, whose freewheeling show still streams on YouTube as it also airs on ESPN, has seemingly redrawn the boundaries of what makes for suitable ESPN programming. The former NFL punter’s relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers has netted the show a weekly segment with the New York Jets star, though a recent episode saw Rodgers spout vaccine misinformation for several minutes. The detour seemed particularly jarring given the “stick to sports” critique raised against a number of on-air personalities in recent years.

Here is the full memo from Magnus:

Colleagues:

I am reaching out with some important news. Norby Williamson will be leaving the company today after nearly 40 years of dedicated service.

During Norby’s career, he made significant contributions across many important roles within Content. Through his steadfast commitment and attention to detail, Norby has had a lasting impact on the sports fans’ experience. His wide-ranging influence includes SportsCenter, breaking news coverage, immense creativity within event and studio productions and diverse storytelling across various ESPN platforms.

Norby wanted to share the following message:

“Almost 40 years ago in 1985, I was so very fortunate to be offered an opportunity at ESPN. 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.”

As soon as possible, we will be conducting a full search for a new senior content executive to help lead our team. Additionally, we will soon provide details about our interim reporting structure. We understand you may have questions about this transition. I, along with my direct reports, will be available to address any questions in the coming days.  

We thank Norby for his many contributions to ESPN and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Burke