Robert Griffin III Reveals Special Phone Call With Deion Sanders After ESPN Firing

Kristen Wong | Aug 27, 2024

Screengrab on YouTube/ @OuttaPocketRG3

Earlier this month, Robert Griffin III was fired by ESPN in a move that sent shockwaves across the sports media landscape. The former Heisman Trophy winner was quick to get back into the media space, airing a new episode of his podcast, Outta Pocket With RGIII, on Tuesday.

In the podcast, Griffin, who recently opened up about his firing from ESPN on the Rich Eisen Show, still had a few more things to get off his chest.

Griffin was joined by Colorado coach Deion Sanders, and the two shared a heart-to-heart exchange during which the analyst graciously thanked Sanders for giving him a call immediately after the ESPN news as they were wrapping up the taping.

“Is the camera still on? I do want to say this with the camera still on,” Griffin said, following a nearly hour-long discussion with Sanders (at the 50:20 mark in the video). “What happened to me last week, you called me. And that meant everything to me. You talk about, as black fathers, as black men, a lot of times people don’t check in on each other. That meant the world to me. I want you to know that.”

“You a good brother, man,” Sanders replied. “Like, you don’t bother nobody, you don’t mess with nobody, you don’t talk about nobody. You’re thought-provoking, you’re entertaining, you’re clean, you’re a great husband, you’re a great man, we gotta support that. So that foolishness that they did, dog, I don’t know what God has planned but I know it’s mighty.”

Griffin and fellow analyst Samantha Ponder were fired by ESPN on Aug. 16 as part of the network’s cost-cutting moves, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. Griffin had two years remaining on his contract. He had helmed the NFL pregame show, Monday Night Countdown, for two years before being replaced by former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce this past offseason. 

“Thankful for so many people in my time at ESPN that helped me grow because they are some of the best in the business,” Griffin said in a statement after his firing from ESPN. “What people sometimes fail to realize is none of this is possible without you guys, the FANS. So THANK YOU to everyone who has supported my family through my playing days and broadcast career so far.”