Veteran anchor Neil Everett is leaving ESPN as he concludes his last episode on the channel. The decision comes after it was rumored that ESPN had offered him a lower salary compared to previous years.
Everett joined ESPN in 2000 and became an integral part of the network’s Los Angeles Sports Center. He dominated the scene alongside longtime colleague Stan Verrett.
The 61-year-old Neil Everett said this about his exit: “ESPN changed my life, but now it’s time for me to change my life. Time to write a new chapter.” After such a long career with the channel, he believes that it’s time to call it quits.
Everett bid his goodbyes to his audience. He mentioned all the love he has garnered over the years from everyone and from the fans on social media. Even though Everett himself is not on Twitter, he spoke about a tweet that he found rather funny. “I have been watching SportsCenter religiously for 20+ years, and I’ve never heard of Neil Everett,” the tweet read, according to him.
"Love is a long road. I'll see you down it."
Neil Everett bids farewell to SportsCenter one last time with longtime partner Stan Verrett pic.twitter.com/BKghg6Vpbl
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 24, 2023During his final moments on the show, ESPN aired a compilation of Everett’s career with the channel.
Verrett, after the announcement of Everett’s impending departure tweeted-
I started at espn in 2000, a few months after Neil Everett. We joined up for sportscenter from LA in 2009. For 14 years, he was the best teammate I could imagine. Selfless, caring, generous, and a pro’s pro. He’s moving on now, but we are brothers for life. That’ll never change.
— stan verrett (@stanverrett) June 8, 2023Everett’s departure from ESPN reminds us of Kenny Mayne‘s contract situation in 2021. But Verrett can breathe a sigh of relief because this won’t be an issue for him.
Besides Everett, ESPN also let go of the NHL announcer Chris Chelios. It is possible fans will see more of the cast get cut in the coming months. This is due to ESPN’s owner Bob Iger slashing the cost to $5.5 billion and the number of employees 7000 worldwide.
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Will fans ever see Neil Everett again?
While we may not see Everett on ESPN, if he shares his expertise, you might find him elsewhere. The Portland native may invest his time with the local NBA team, the Portland Trail Blazers. He has no shortage of options; who knows, fans might even see him move to another network.
Wherever he ends up, he won’t have a money problem. Everett has an estimated net worth of $4 million and earns around $700,000 a year. He grew up in Oregon and studied journalism at the University of Oregon. Even during his college days, he had an energetic and charming personality. Everett began his professional broadcasting career working for KCST-FM in Oregon.
However, he switched job profiles, tried his hands at Educational athletics, and moved to Hawaii. There, he became the athletic administrator at Hawaii Pacific University for 15 years. In 2000, Everett auditioned for ESPN in Honolulu and became the presenter fans know today.
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