00:00ESPN has been making major cuts, but two of the network's biggest personalities are making headlines for very different reasons.
00:07Tim Tebow, he is staying at the network, and Pat McAfee, he's out here telling everyone, hey guys, don't blame
00:14me.
00:14Did they buy NFL Network this year?
00:17Who?
00:17They did.
00:18Did they?
00:19That's crazy.
00:20Did they keep anybody, or is everybody fired to pay you?
00:23I'm trying to figure it out.
00:24That's not funny.
00:25That's not funny.
00:26We do not like that.
00:27We do not appreciate that.
00:28That is the narrative, and I'm certainly taking it on the shins.
00:31The boys and I are very proud of the work that we have done.
00:33Now, ESPN's latest round of layoffs reportedly included several prominent names, including Ryan Clark, Carl Ravitch, Tom Pellicero, David Lloyd,
00:42Cam Newton, and Bart Scott.
00:44ESPN chairman Jimmy Patero said most of the cuts were connected to the company's integration of NFL Network, although positions
00:51in other departments were also affected.
00:54But right before those cuts became public, ESPN announced that Tebow had signed a new multi-year contract extension.
01:01The former Heisman Trophy winner will remain an analyst on SEC Nation, continue contributing to ESPN's college football playoff coverage,
01:09and appear on programs including College Football Live and Sports Center.
01:13Tebow has been part of ESPN's college football coverage since 2014, and while plenty of ESPN employees are confronting an
01:20uncertain future, his seat at the desk is secure.
01:24Then there's Pat McAfee.
01:26Now, McAfee has faced criticism because the layoffs arrived as he was reportedly negotiating another massive contract with ESPN, with
01:33one report placing the potential value at $60 million per year.
01:38Last week, on an episode of The Pat McAfee Show, J.J. Watt even confronted McAfee with a joke that
01:44everybody was already making online.
01:46I mean, besides the fact that you're getting $100 million.
01:50Oh, okay, J.J.
01:51Okay, J.J., please.
01:52You're taking everybody off the network.
01:54And nobody's done.
01:55Take it away!
01:56You're going to lose the award with what you're doing.
01:58Who was second place?
01:58Now, on that note.
02:00There was no one else.
02:00There was no second place.
02:01Yeah, who was?
02:02No.
02:02Actually, the gimmick was going to be if he didn't act like that, but now maybe we need to.
02:06And I would like to let you know, J.J., don't be reading the internet like that, okay?
02:10You're smarter.
02:11Oh, I read it all.
02:12Now, there's no evidence that Tebow's extension or McAfee's salary directly caused anyone else to lose a job, but the
02:20optics reveal where ESPN appears to be placing its biggest bets.
02:24Recognizable personalities with loyal audiences, strong personal brands, and the ability to generate attention across television, streaming, and social media.
02:33At the worldwide leader, being talented still matters, but bringing your own audience might matter more than ever.
02:41Cool.
02:42That was actually real good.
02:44Yeah.
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