Why did ESPN fire Jalen Rose? Reason behind shocking move explored

On Friday morning, news broke that Jalen Rose was among the 20 high-profile personalities to be let go by ESPN. The former Most Improved Player winner had been with the network since 2007, not long after he ended a 13-year stint in the NBA.

Over the past year, Jalen Rose has seen his role with ESPN slowly shrink. He had his own show, "Jalen and Jacoby," which was terminated at the end of last year.

In a New York Post article regarding the firings, some insights as to why Rose might have been let go were provided. Part of it stemmed from his massive salary and the fact that the network wanted to make room for some new analysts.

Over the past year, ESPN has brought on multiple former NBA players to shake up its coverage of the league. This includes former champions Kendrick Perkins and Richard Jefferson, and longtime marksman JJ Redick.

"Rose survived with his pregame show, but, making millions, he had been a target as ESPN likes some of its emerging analysts, such as Kendrick Perkins, JJ Redick and Richard Jefferson."

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Other incidents that could have led to Jalen Rose being let go from ESPN

While what the Post mentioned is likely most of it, there are other things that could have led to Jalen Rose's departure from ESPN. One incident was when he was on air with host Malika Andrews.

During a segment, Rose went over to hug Andrews. When he did, she stated that he slipped his finger into her armpit.

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After the incident went viral, many spoke on the matter. Kwame Brown claimed Andrews was trying to make Rose look bad. Once things settled down, Rose himself touched on the matter. He made it clear that he did not do any such thing to Andrews during that encounter.

It might have been a minor part, but this is certainly something that could have led to Rose being part of ESPN's layoffs. As a former player and longtime analyst, it likely won't be long before Rose is back in the media in some form helping cover the NBA.