“It Can Be Cruel”: Stephen a Smith’s 67YO Colleague Reflects on NBA Millionaire Layoffs One Day After Charles Barkley’s Viral Video

News of ESPN’s layoff spree has spread like a raging fire. The Disney-operated media company has cut ties with some of its most renowned individuals. From Max Kellerman to David Pollack, none have been able to evade the axe. The recent sacks are all part of the company’s cost-cutting measures. Several of them have spoken against the decision. Stephen A. Smith has been at the forefront of the story, speaking candidly about his company.

Following the NBA analyst’s footsteps, his long-time colleague also made certain remarks. Despite admitting it being the ‘worst’ of his ESPN days, the veteran employee surprisingly didn’t claim the company.

Stephen A. Smith’s colleague breaks down ESPN’s recent rampage

Paul Finebaum has worked inside the ESPN headquarters for a decade. The college football broadcaster recently went viral for addressing Charles Barkley‘s bold move to alter his will in the wake of the Supreme Court’s surprise ruling regarding affirmation action. He saluted the Hall of Famer for pledging $5 million to impact his alma mater. However, it wasn’t before he had to painfully address the situation in his workplace.

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As part of ESPN, he has extensively supervised college football. Understandably, this spell of firings was a hard one to digest for the 67-year-old. Finebaum had to watch many of his close associates being cut by ESPN. As a guest on the Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, he spoke about the uncertainty he and other employees had over their jobs.

“And I say as an employee nobody knew Friday. Especially those of us who were on the air whether we would be around at the end of the day. I’ll spare you a lot of the things that have been said on Twitter and on social media because (ESPN) is a special place to work. But it can be cruel,” he said according to

But while he addressed the frustrations, Finebaum also understands it’s simply a ‘business decision’. According to him, they can’t be angry at anyone in particular due to the unpredictability that comes with being an employee in the business.

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The ongoing firings are a part of Disney’s initiative to reduce its workforce by 7,000 reports. It will deplete 3% of their labor from entertainment, ESPN, parks, and more. It’s uncertain who will remain a part of ESPN for the next season. All that the employees can do is hope they aren’t on the list.