Michael Smith exits ESPN after 15 years, ending his "gold-plated purgatory"

New York Post

Smith signed a four-year $10 million deal in early 2017 to co-host the 6 p.m. SportsCenter, dubbed SC6, with Jemele Hill. But that show ended in less than a year amid controversy that SportsCenter had become too political. Smith, whose contract went through February 2021, has been barely utilized since his SportsCenter stint ended 18 months ago. He and ESPN have agreed to a buyout that will allow him to join a Hollywood-based startup called (Co)laboratory.