What We Know About Todd McShay's Abrupt Exit From ESPN
If you've haphazardly flipped through the television channels and landed on ESPN, you've most likely seen Todd McShay's face. McShay is an American college football analyst and NFL draft analyst and has been a part of the ESPN network since 2006. McShay's keen insight on National Football League draft picks is something NFL fans look forward to viewing every year. The only time in memory that his sharp knowledge was absent from ESPN's coverage of the annual NFL draft was for the 2020 season, as he contracted coronavirus.
McShay shared the news with a screenshot from his notes app on Twitter in April of 2020. "I'm so sorry to tell you I won't be working the NFL draft this year. I'm home recovering from coronavirus," he said. "For now, I just want to say I miss you all — my teammates at ESPN who have been incredibly supportive, my friends in the league, and the fans who have made the Draft what it is today." He assured fans he would not be gone for long and ended his note by thanking "the tireless work of healthcare workers and first responders."
Unfortunately, McShay will be missing in action from the NFL draft picks once again in 2022 due to health issues — but this time, it's permanent. This is what we know about about Todd McShay's abrupt exit from ESPN.
Todd McShay is leaving ESPN to focus on himself and his family
Todd McShay announced on Twitter on September 7 that he is leaving ESPN for an undesignated amount of time. "I am going to take some time away to focus on my health and my family. Thank you ESPN for being so supportive and for all the well wishes – I can't wait to be back on the sidelines soon," he wrote. This news comes right after viewers noticed a change in McShay's appearance as he covered the Alabama versus Miami game over the past weekend. McShay was abruptly removed from the Northwestern versus Wisconsin broadcast in November 2020 after looking unwell and slower than usual, according to the New York Post.
ESPN issued a statement (via TMZ) saying, "Todd has ESPN's full support as he steps away at this time to focus on his health and his family." Following the news, many of McShay's coworkers from the network and others came together on Twitter to send their condolences to the sportscaster. Field Yates, a fellow NFL insider for ESPN, tweeted, "All the best to you, Todd ... Know you will be back soon enough and ready to keep doing the amazing work you do." Hopefully McShay will get well soon so he can be back on the field again, sharing his football analytics knowledge with viewers across America.