In a bombshell piece of news, long-time ESPN broadcaster Tom Rinaldi will be leaving the network for Fox Sports. The story was originally reported by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. Rinaldi has been with ESPN since 2002 and was one of their most well-known on-air reporters.
Fox plans to feature Rinaldi across multiple sports just as ESPN did. ESPN primarily used him to cover college football and golf. He also was a major part of their tennis coverage. For Fox, Rinaldi is expected to cover the Super Bowl, World Series, World Cup, and college football. They plan to get the most out of their big acquisition by using him for as many big events as they can. Interestingly enough, Rinaldi will not be able to cover golf with Fox as they relinquished their golf events.
Tom Rinaldi is Yet Another Loss for ESPN
At ESPN, Tom Rinaldi was perhaps most recognizable as a feature on College GameDay. He also made sideline appearances at national championship games.
Rinaldi was frequently the one to break major scandals, including those of Tiger Woods and Urban Meyer.
Make no mistake, Rinaldi is not a victim of the mass layoffs ESPN had earlier this year. The COVID-19 pandemic tanked ESPN’s revenue, leading to their letting go of over 300 employees. Rinaldi, however, is leaving of his own volition after receiving an offer from Fox.
Rinaldi was formerly a reporter for CNN and Sports Illustrated before he joined up with ESPN. His departure is just one of many high-profile talents that have left the network in recent memory. Dan Le Batard chose to leave the network earlier this year. Fox has also poached Adam Amin, Emmanuel Acho, and Jonathan Vilma from ESPN in the last few years.
Rinaldi has won multiple Emmy awards over his successful career. Fans of College GameDay will certainly be disappointed by the news of his departure.
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