Sportscaster Mariah Taylor is reportedly very close to leaving ESPN to work for a rival network, replete with big-time assignments and elevated status, the media reports.
According to Front Office Sports, Taylor is tantalizingly close to signing a contract with NBC Sports. The publication stated that, as part of the deal, Taylor could replace Mike Tirico as the host of NBC “Football Night in America.” Tirico, in turn, is eyeing the hosting duties for “Monday Night Football,” as legendary host, Al Michaels is eyeing retirement soon at age 76.
BREAKING: ESPN’s Maria Taylor is nearing a possible deal with rival NBC Sports, sources tell @MMcCarthyREV ⬇️https://t.co/l8jnheTlbl
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 14, 2021
Moreover, Taylor would host certain coverage of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics as well as report for “Good Morning America.”
Taylor, 34, would be the latest former athlete who made the seamless transition from big-time sports into major broadcasting. The Atlanta native was a two-sport athlete, in basketball and volleyball, at the University of Georgia. Michael Strahan, who currently co-hosts GMA, was a Hall of Fame defensive lineman for the New York Giants.
Taylor has been with ESPN since 2014 and has been hosting the NBA Finals for the sports leader for the past two years.
Taylor was the subject of an explosive racial storm that erupted inside ESPN in the summer of 2020 when a White reporter, Rachel Nichols, accused the network of promoting Taylor above her because of the “push for diversity.” During a private phone call that was taped because Nichols forgot to turn off her live mic, she said ESPN had caved into the Black Lives Matter movement and national uprising that was incited after the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day 2020 in Minneapolis.
Disenchanted with ESPN, and disgusted with Nichols, Taylor refused to close on a lucrative $5 million contract. Her current deal is set to expire right after the 2021 NBA Finals.
BREAKING: ESPN’s Maria Taylor is nearing a possible deal with rival NBC Sports, sources tell @MMcCarthyREV ⬇️https://t.co/l8jnheTlbl
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 14, 2021
