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Norby Williamson, the executive at the center of Pat McAfee’s explosive allegations, is leaving ESPN after 40 years.
Controversial host McAfee launched a furious on-air attack on some of his ESPN bosses earlier this year, suggesting a “rat” within the network is trying to “sabotage” his show.
He singled out seasoned executive Williamson, ESPN’s head of studio and event production, accusing him of leaking information and trying to ruin the show.
On Friday, a memo from ESPN president of content Burke Magnus, leaked on social media, revealed that Williamson will leave ESPN on Friday “after nearly 40 years of dedicated service.”
Williamson, who was reportedly under contract through the Super Bowl in early 2027, said in a statement: “Almost 40 years ago, in 1985, I was very fortunate to be offered an opportunity at ESPN.
“Due to the exceptional hard work, creativity and commitment of the people at ESPN, and to a much lesser extent my contributions, I would like to think we have left our great company in a much better place than where we found it.”
The note did not mention McAfee or his accusations and, according to the New York PostWilliamson’s departure has not occurred by the host’s will.
Instead, it is claimed that Magnus decided to part ways with Williamson due to different visions for the future of ESPN.
But his departure comes just months after McAfee’s extraordinary allegations against the seasoned executive.
McAfee, who is paid more than $17 million a year by ESPN to host his own daily sports talk show, took aim at ESPN bosses amid the controversy surrounding Aaron Rodgers.
His comments came after Rodgers sparked outrage by appearing to suggest that Jimmy Kimmel would be named as one of Jeffrey Epstein’s associates, and following reports that the show is failing to capture ‘First Take’ viewers that same day .
“There are some people actively trying to sabotage us from within ESPN,” he said. “More to the point, I think Norby Williamson is the guy trying to sabotage our program.”
Then he continued: ‘Are we going to fight that one rat at a time? I don’t know. But someone tried to pre-empt our release of actual ratings with wrong numbers 12 hours earlier.
“That’s an attempt at sabotage, and it’s been going on basically this entire season by some people who didn’t necessarily love the old addition of the Pat McAfee Show to the ESPN family.”
At the time, ESPN was quick to reject McAfee’s claim, insisting that “no one is more committed and invested in ESPN’s success” than Williamson.