Dan Patrick ... gawn
Minutes before Dan Patrick was to announce his future on his own radio show, ESPN's press-release churning machine issued an email Monday to confirm that he was leaving the company by "mutual agreement" to pursue "new interests outside of ESPN."
Patrick's last show for ESPN Radio (heard on KSPN-AM 710 in Los Angeles from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) will be Aug. 17. He'll spend his final week (Aug. 13-17) looking back at memorable moments from his radio show with special guests.
Patrick, who has been with ESPN for the last 18 years, has been considering other career moves -- such as hosting "The Price Is Right," although he says that's now a dead issue . He insists he's got nothing immediately lined up when his ESPN days end.
In a statement issued by ESPN, Patrick said: “I’ve spent a third of my life at ESPN. All my children were born while I was employed here. I feel privileged to have had this opportunity and I have extremely mixed emotions about leaving. With that said, I told ESPN that I believe it’s time for me to try something different, something that will also be challenging and rewarding. While I’m not sure what that will be, I am grateful to ESPN for its willingness to allow me to pursue new endeavors.”
Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vice president, production, also had a quote in the statement, but it didn't interest us much.
Patrick has hosted a show on ESPN Radio since 1999 with infrequent appearances lately as a "SportsCenter" anchor, which he did regularily starting in 1989. He was also writting the "Outtakes" column for ESPN The Magazine.
On Monday's radio show, waiting for the hour when Keith Olbermann joined him, Patrick said: "I was started to take (the job) for granted, and I didn't think it was fair. (ESPN executives) tried to talk me out of it several times. If there was any anomosity, I'd not be doing this show any more after this one today. It was time to move on. I hope to be doing radio again somewhere, but TV-wise, I'm not sure."
He said last week that he had a "life-changing announcement," but it continued to be delayed. Patrick said he took time off to reconsider but after that, "I felt it was time to move on. Thanks for the patience and understanding."