ESPN fired Samantha Ponder and Robert Griffin III on Thursday.

The Athletic first reported on the restructuring and ESPN confirmed the news to Fox News Digital. Ponder was a host on “Sunday NFL Countdown” and Griffin was an analyst and appeared on several shows.

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Samantha Ponder (Thaddaeus McAdams/WireImage/File)

Ponder did not immediately comment on the decision. Griffin joked on X that he was fired on his day off, using a clip from the movie “Friday.”

The decision to fire Ponder sparked the most outrage on social media, with Riley Gaines, host of the OutKick podcast “Gaines for Girls,” and former ESPN anchor Sage Steele among those defending Ponder.

Ponder was one of a small group of figures who spoke out for fairness in women’s sports amid the ongoing debate over transgender inclusion in women’s sports. She also defended Kansas City Chiefs’ Harrison Butker for his religiously-charged speech at Benedictine College.

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Robert Griffin III (James Gilbert/Getty Images/File)

A source familiar with the firings of Ponder and Griffin told Fox News Digital that the decisions were business decisions. Griffin was absent from “Monday Night Countdown” because he hired the network’s new hire, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, and was still set to receive full pay for a lesser-known college football show. Ponder’s only show was “Sunday NFL Countdown.”

The source added that Ponder and Griffin will continue to receive what they are entitled to under their contracts.

Ponder joined ESPN’s Longhorn Network in July 2011 and rose to become host of one of the company’s top NFL shows.

ESPN has fired Samantha Ponder and Robert Griffin III. (Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images/File)

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Griffin, who played several seasons in the NFL, joined ESPN in August 2022. He was an analyst on “NFL Live” and a college football analyst. He joined “Monday Night Countdown” in 2022.

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