Maria Taylor and ESPN are divorcing – and she is expected to end up with NBC and at the Olympics, The Post has learned.
Taylor, 34, leaves ESPN just weeks after a year-old private tape of leaked comments in which fellow NBA host/reporter Rachel Nichols’ alleged ESPN gave Taylor the Finals hosting job to make up for what Nichols described as the network’s “crappy longtime record on diversity.”
For NBC, if a contract is completed, Taylor is expected to be part of its forthcoming Olympic coverage that begins in earnest on Friday.
While several sources said Taylor is headed to NBC, nothing is official yet.
After The Post broke the news of ESPN and Taylor’s failure to reach a new contract agreement, the network’s chairman Jimmy Pitaro & Taylor released a joint statement. Pitaro said, “there is no doubt we will miss Maria,” adding, “While she chose to purse a new opportunity, we are proud of the work we’ve done together.”
Taylor said she was “So thankful to Jimmy and all of my great teammates.” She did not address what is next for her.
If the NBC deal is finalized, she also could be waiting in the on-deck circle to become the host of “Football Night in America,” when Mike Tirico moves to the full-time “Sunday Night” Football play-by-play position in the fall of 2022. It is not fully set that Taylor will replace Tirico, but seems as if it could be a potential fit. Taylor could also have a role on Notre Dame football this season.
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Source: New York Post
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