David Pollack says Sam Ponder's firing wasn't 'performance based,' but 'all kinds of factors' made up decision

Three-time All-American linebacker David Pollack spent four years wearing a 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 Draft. However, Pollack's NFL tenure was cut short by injury, and he stepped away from football just two years after he was drafted.

After he hung up his cleats, Pollack turned to broadcasting. He landed a job at a now-defunct sports radio station in Atlanta, not far from where he starred as a high school football player. Pollack was eventually hired by ESPN, where he spent several years working with Sam Ponder.

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Ponder's nearly 13-year run at ESPN recently came to an end. "The Worldwide Leader in Sports" parted ways with the "Sunday NFL Countdown" host, The Athletic reported on Aug. 15. 

EX-NFL REPORTER DOESN’T BUY ESPN’S JUSTIFICATION FOR FIRING SAM PONDER: ‘THEY CLEARLY’ WANTED HER GONE

Pollack joined OutKick’s "Don’t @ Me! with Dan Dakich" on Wednesday and discussed the circumstances surrounding his former colleague's dismissal.

"I think that's a hard thing to always answer Dan because you're not always in those rooms, and you don't want to assume things," Pollack responded when asked if Ponder's employment came to an end because her personal views did not align with her previous employer. 

Pollack added that the television host was "good at her job."

"But Sam is good at her job, and Sam has been pretty outspoken which is good. There's a lot of people by the way that been outspoken. I'll say this, if you have a certain view that is contrary to a company that you serve with, and you share it frequently, alot of times what will happen is… this exact thing can happen. It takes one person who wants to be able to get rid of you."

However, Pollack also believes that a variety of factors weighed into the network's decision to fire Ponder.

"Do I think that was the sole reason? No, I don't think it's the sole reason. But, do I think that kind of stuff weighs into decision-making subconsciously or consciously? Of course, with every corporation, with every company, you take all things into consideration.

"But, I think we can all look at each other and go I'm pretty sure it wasn't performance-based. She's really good at her job, she's professional, she works hard. So there's obviously all kinds of factors that go into making those decisions."

Disney's ongoing effort to explore opportunities to cut costs as the end of the organization's fiscal year draws near prompted the decision to fire the TV host, per The Athletic. Disney is the parent company of ESPN. A source familiar with Ponder's dismissal also told Fox News Digital that it was a business decision.

Pollack was laid off from ESPN in 2023. Earlier this year, Pollack told the "Rick & Bubba Show" last week, that the company cited budget cuts when he learned about his dismissal.

"All I know is it's budget cuts. It's a part of the deal. Usually that doesn't affect ‘College GameDay,’" Pollack said.

Another one of Ponder's former colleagues, Sage Steele, weighed in on the situation and expressed excitement about the now-former ESPN employee's future prospects.

"This is another loss for ESPN, but it is a gain for literally the rest of the world because now you’re going to see the true Sam Ponder," Steele said in a video posted to social media. "It’s all going to come out, and I hope you’re ready. She is a gem."

Steele filed a lawsuit against her then-employer after she claimed that ESPN had suspended her in retaliation for remarks she made related to Disney's COVID-19 vaccine mandate during a podcast appearance. Shortly after reaching a settlement with ESPN in 2023, Sage announced her exit from the company after 16 years.

During the conversation with Pollack, Dakich also mentioned his recent interview longtime "College GameDay" analyst Kirk Herbstreit who said he no longer planned on "biting 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 view that’s a little bit more traditional — I’m a Christian guy, it’s like there’s a different set of rules for that viewpoint and it’s hard to just turn the other cheek time after time after time. 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." Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce was tapped as Griffin's replacement on the NFL pregame show entering the 2024 season. 

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