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Jul 04, 2023

Lee Fitting out at ESPN

Just five days before ESPN produces its first college football game of the season, it has parted ways with the exec overseeing all college football at the network. ESPN let go of Lee Fitting, a

Just five days before ESPN produces its first college football game of the season, it has parted ways with the exec overseeing all college football at the network. ESPN let go of Lee Fitting, a 25-year company employee who oversaw college and pro football production at the network. ESPNers found out about the move this afternoon via a terse memo from ESPN’s Norby Williamson that said, “Lee Fitting is no longer with the company. As a result, we will be finalizing a new production structure for the NFL, college football, SEC Network and XFL. ... I had a previously scheduled town hall for August 29 -- we will address the new structure at the beginning of the meeting,” Williamson wrote at the end of his memo.ESPN would not comment on the move, which was so sudden -- and occurred so close to the college football and NFL seasons -- that it shocked staffers and media alike. USA Today's Dan Wolken: "That’s quite a shakeup." The Athletic's Chris Vannini wrote, "Wow, big change at ESPN. Fitting ran College GameDay and other college programming for a long time." USA Today's Lindsay Schnell: "Dang, Lee is a legend." The AP's Ralph Russo and The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach each wrote, "Wow."

As SVP/production, Fitting has been one of the most important behind-the-scenes execs in Bristol, responsible for overseeing the network’s most popular programming, including “College GameDay,” the CFP and “Monday Night Football."Outkick’s Dan Zaksheske was first with this story.

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