Did you guys know ESPN fired Trev Alberts?
Gator5220
Posts: 1,194
in Sports Talk
I had no idea. He was too arrogant for my tastes. Maybe they will bring back Craig James, I always liked him.
By John Walters, SI.com
ESPN fired Trev Alberts on Sunday after the college football analyst failed to show up for work at ESPN's studios in Bristol, Conn.
"He phoned and said that he wasn't going to show up," Mark Shapiro, ESPN's Vice President of Programming and Production, told SI.com on Tuesday night, "and when he didn't, he was in breach of his contract and we terminated him."
Alberts, a former All-American defensive end at Nebraska and member of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, was embarking on his fourth season as part of ESPN's popular College Football Scoreboard and College Football Gameday team. But on Sunday morning, in the midst of college football's first big weekend of the season, Alberts phoned ESPN's coordinating producer of college football, Ed Placey, and voiced his discontent.
"He phoned us and told us that he was unhappy with his role on College GameDay," said Shapiro. "He felt that he was playing second fiddle."
As the day wore on, according to both Shapiro and Alberts, there were several conversations between Alberts and ESPN senior vice presidents Jed Drake and Norby Williamson. Finally, Alberts announced that he would not be reporting for work that afternoon (ESPN and ESPN2 aired three college football games between 3:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.). Once Alberts failed to appear for his studio show assignment with host Rece Davis and fellow analyst Mark May, he was fired.
"They first wanted me to resign," Alberts said on Tuesday night from his Atlanta home. "Then they fired me. I obviously have a serious problem with the word 'breach', but that's something my attorney will work out."
Alberts joined ESPN's studio show in 2002 after five years of working in a similar capacity at CNN/SI. Cantankerous, passionate and opinionated, Alberts often feuded with May about issues relating to the sport, but the feud never turned (or even appeared to seem) personal. Davis played the role of genial arbitrator to a tee.
"We were just trying to be three guys in a frat house talking football," said Alberts.
As far as his discontent and the phone calls to management, Alberts said that both began long before Sunday.
"It wasn't just this weekend," he said. "There were conversations for awhile. I fully understood the privilege of the seat I sat in. And it was never about wanting to be part of the GameDay crew. But no matter what business you're in, if you're not respected internally, you're going to have a hard time being respected externally."
Alberts declined to elaborate. The GameDay crew, with Chris Fowler as host and sidekicks Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, has evolved into a wildly popular cult phenomenon. Each Saturday the trio's visit to a college campus is cause for pre-game pandemonium among the tailgating set.
Alberts claims that he never aspired to that, nor does he begrudge Fowler, Corso and Herbstreit their widening popularity.
"The GameDay guys have earned that," Alberts said. "Mark, Rece and I, we had searched for something we could call ours. All we wanted was something we could take ownership of. We felt like the midnight wrap-up show was ours, but as the season began I could see that we'd be more of a support crew for [Fowler, Corso and Herbstreit].
"Never once did I say, Why aren't I on commercials? Why aren't I making more money? I'm a huge fan of all these people who work at ESPN, including Mark [Shapiro]. It's just a matter of not wanting to be marginalized."
Shapiro concurred that the ESPN stable may have had a few too many thoroughbreds.
"Over the years there's been some discomfort over how to integrate the two teams," he said on Tuesday. "But, it's like a coach who has a lot of good backs and receivers. Everyone has a role to play."
Everyone except Alberts. He has been dismissed from the team. Shapiro said that in the short term a replacement will come from in-house, but as for a full-time replacement for Alberts, "essentially, we're open for business."
By John Walters, SI.com
ESPN fired Trev Alberts on Sunday after the college football analyst failed to show up for work at ESPN's studios in Bristol, Conn.
"He phoned and said that he wasn't going to show up," Mark Shapiro, ESPN's Vice President of Programming and Production, told SI.com on Tuesday night, "and when he didn't, he was in breach of his contract and we terminated him."
Alberts, a former All-American defensive end at Nebraska and member of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, was embarking on his fourth season as part of ESPN's popular College Football Scoreboard and College Football Gameday team. But on Sunday morning, in the midst of college football's first big weekend of the season, Alberts phoned ESPN's coordinating producer of college football, Ed Placey, and voiced his discontent.
"He phoned us and told us that he was unhappy with his role on College GameDay," said Shapiro. "He felt that he was playing second fiddle."
As the day wore on, according to both Shapiro and Alberts, there were several conversations between Alberts and ESPN senior vice presidents Jed Drake and Norby Williamson. Finally, Alberts announced that he would not be reporting for work that afternoon (ESPN and ESPN2 aired three college football games between 3:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.). Once Alberts failed to appear for his studio show assignment with host Rece Davis and fellow analyst Mark May, he was fired.
"They first wanted me to resign," Alberts said on Tuesday night from his Atlanta home. "Then they fired me. I obviously have a serious problem with the word 'breach', but that's something my attorney will work out."
Alberts joined ESPN's studio show in 2002 after five years of working in a similar capacity at CNN/SI. Cantankerous, passionate and opinionated, Alberts often feuded with May about issues relating to the sport, but the feud never turned (or even appeared to seem) personal. Davis played the role of genial arbitrator to a tee.
"We were just trying to be three guys in a frat house talking football," said Alberts.
As far as his discontent and the phone calls to management, Alberts said that both began long before Sunday.
"It wasn't just this weekend," he said. "There were conversations for awhile. I fully understood the privilege of the seat I sat in. And it was never about wanting to be part of the GameDay crew. But no matter what business you're in, if you're not respected internally, you're going to have a hard time being respected externally."
Alberts declined to elaborate. The GameDay crew, with Chris Fowler as host and sidekicks Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, has evolved into a wildly popular cult phenomenon. Each Saturday the trio's visit to a college campus is cause for pre-game pandemonium among the tailgating set.
Alberts claims that he never aspired to that, nor does he begrudge Fowler, Corso and Herbstreit their widening popularity.
"The GameDay guys have earned that," Alberts said. "Mark, Rece and I, we had searched for something we could call ours. All we wanted was something we could take ownership of. We felt like the midnight wrap-up show was ours, but as the season began I could see that we'd be more of a support crew for [Fowler, Corso and Herbstreit].
"Never once did I say, Why aren't I on commercials? Why aren't I making more money? I'm a huge fan of all these people who work at ESPN, including Mark [Shapiro]. It's just a matter of not wanting to be marginalized."
Shapiro concurred that the ESPN stable may have had a few too many thoroughbreds.
"Over the years there's been some discomfort over how to integrate the two teams," he said on Tuesday. "But, it's like a coach who has a lot of good backs and receivers. Everyone has a role to play."
Everyone except Alberts. He has been dismissed from the team. Shapiro said that in the short term a replacement will come from in-house, but as for a full-time replacement for Alberts, "essentially, we're open for business."
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Comments
Glad it wasn't Mark May. He's actually interesting.
<< <i>I guess there are no Trev Alberts fans on these boards.... >>
nah
no one would have even missed him or noticed he was gone if you had not posted the story.
<< <i>At least his fate wasn't as bad as Adrian Karsten's. >>
what happen to him?
But, yeah, Holtz is brutal.
I hope they do not bring back Craig James -- I hate the guy, but I am somewhat biased because James has always been a Nebaska hater. It was satisfying to see him eat crow (or "eat corn") in 1994 when the Huskers finally vanquished the hated 'Canes and won the National Championship!!
<< <i>It was satisfying to see him eat crow (or "eat corn") in 1994 when the Huskers finally vanquished the hated 'Canes and won the National Championship!!
he would have a field day with the huskers this year............ so maybe you do not want him to come back.
<< <i>
<< <i>It was satisfying to see him eat crow (or "eat corn") in 1994 when the Huskers finally vanquished the hated 'Canes and won the National Championship!!
he would have a field day with the huskers this year............ so maybe you do not want him to come back.
You are right -- I do NOT want Craig James back. But it does not matter -- EVERYONE will have a field day with the re-building Huskers until they beat a Top 25 team. The win over Wake Forest was progress, but let's see how they do against Oklahoma (or any Big 12 team for that matter!!).
<< <i>but let's see how they do against Oklahoma (or any Big 12 team for that matter!!). >>
I never thought I'd live to see the day when I'd be saying that about Iowa St.
Collector of Vintage Golf cards! Let me know what you might have.
<< <i>Nice icon.
<< <i>Actually, I am suprised he got fired, maybe his ego got the best of him. I thought he was a good analyst --- he was not the star of the show, but played a significant supporting role. He needs to "pay his dues" before he becomes Chris Fowler or Lee Corso. He will probably show up on another network, such as TNT.
I hope they do not bring back Craig James -- I hate the guy, but I am somewhat biased because James has always been a Nebaska hater. It was satisfying to see him eat crow (or "eat corn") in 1994 when the Huskers finally vanquished the hated 'Canes and won the National Championship!!
Even though it should have been a 'Co' National Championship with Penn St. in '94...
<< <i>
Even though it should have been a 'Co' National Championship with Penn St. in '94... >>
Please, spare me. They stole it from the Huskers in 1982 anyway, with the "extended" out of bounds line reception.
<< <i>How can you not say that team (PSU-'94) was not one of the most dominant college teams of the last 20 years??? That wasn't even Nebraska's best team in the 90's... >>
You are correct -- Nebraska's best team of the 90's was 1995, when they trounced Spurrier's Gators in the Fiesta Bowl.
And I'm sure you know that Penn State's "domination" of Indiana that year kept them at #2 up until the Rose Bowl. So the only way they would pass Nebraska was to beat them (which was not possible) or for NU to lose to Miami (which did not happen).
But now we have the BCS, so all is hunky-dory in College Football!!
<< <i>
<< <i>How can you not say that team (PSU-'94) was not one of the most dominant college teams of the last 20 years??? That wasn't even Nebraska's best team in the 90's... >>
You are correct -- Nebraska's best team of the 90's was 1995, when they trounced Spurrier's Gators in the Fiesta Bowl.
And I'm sure you know that Penn State's "domination" of Indiana that year kept them at #2 up until the Rose Bowl. So the only way they would pass Nebraska was to beat them (which was not possible) or for NU to lose to Miami (which did not happen).
But now we have the BCS, so all is hunky-dory in College Football!!
I don't dispute the fact that Nebraska should have been champion, co-champion. The Indiana-PSU game was about a 24 point game in the second half and Indiana had 2 garbage TD's to make the score look close. Of course, voters in the polls only saw the final score, most likely, hence the drop from #1 to #2 after that game.
<< <i>
I don't dispute the fact that Nebraska should have been champion, co-champion. The Indiana-PSU game was about a 24 point game in the second half and Indiana had 2 garbage TD's to make the score look close. Of course, voters in the polls only saw the final score, most likely, hence the drop from #1 to #2 after that game. >>
Yeah, yeah, thats the PSU party line. Of course, if it was 3 garbage TD's the mighty Hoosiers would have won that game!!
Bottom line, it was a shame NU and PSU could not settle it on the field, just like '97 with NU and Michigan.
Changing subjects, seeing you are a Steeler fan, did you hear that Lynn Swann might run for goveror of PA for the GOP? That would be awesome!!!
Mark