ESPN Fired ‘Rising Star’ For ‘Leaking’ Info; Now He’s Fighting Back Against The NetworkIn a rather stunning turn of events, one of ESPN’s “rising stars” was abruptly fired Friday by the four-letter network over what the New York Post reports was “multiple” leaks of confidential company information to the media. His reported firing comes not long after reports that he had locked down a “new multi-year contract” with the network, the Post notes.
“ESPN rising star Adnan Virk has been fired by the network,” the New York Post reports, citing unnamed sources. “Virk is accused of leaking confidential company information to the media on multiple occasions, according to sources.”
The Post reports that when ESPN began investigating the alleged leaks, Virk, 40, “failed to fully cooperate” in their view, according to its sources. That prompted the network to take action, including reportedly escorting him off the property.
“On Friday, Virk was escorted off the Bristol campus,” the Post’s Andrew Marchand reports. “The specific nature of the information Virk chose to share is unknown at this time.”
When the outlet reached out to ESPN, they were told by Vice President of Communications Josh Krulewitz simply that “Adnan Virk no longer works at ESPN.”
So far, Virk has not publicly commented on his alleged firing and his Twitter account remains active, listing ESPN as his employer. He has not, however, posted since Thursday.
Virk’s last tweet promotes his movie podcast and playfully calls out his fellow ESPN commentator, Dan LeBatard. “Your tweets will not stop us, @LeBatardShow,” he retweeted.
Virk’s online profile has already been scrubbed from ESPN MediaZone.
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As Virk’s online profile highlights, he had become an almost ubiquitous presence at ESPN, including the network’s college football, Major League Baseball, and college basketball coverage. He also frequented ESPN Radio programs, including some guest-hosting gigs, and was host of ESPN’s “Cinephile: The Adnan Virk Movie Podcast.” Virk first joined ESPN in 2010.
ESPN Front Row provides the following biographical sketch of Virk:
Adnan Virk, a Canadian-born sports reporter and host, joined ESPN in May 2010 as an anchor for ESPNEWS, the 24-hour all-sports news network. Virk gained eight years of experience in Canada, starting out with TSN in 1998, where he was an associate producer for Sportscentre. From there, Virk worked for Omni Television serving from September 2002 – December 2003 as a co-host for Omniculture and Bollywood. In April of 2002, he began working for a 24-hour Canadian sports television network, The Score, where he hosted several programs until his departure in 2009. His most recent job before joining ESPN was as a reporter and host from 2010 – April 2011 for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment‘s Raptors NBA TV, Leafs TV and Gol TV. Virk has been recognized multiple times for his reporting. In 2008, he was named Sportscaster of the Year by Anokhi Vibe Magazine, and Favorite Media Personality by the Masala, Mehndi, Masti Organization. Virk, whose parents immigrated to Canada from Pakistan, attended Ryerson University in Toronto, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in radio and television in 2000.
UPDATE: ESPN Fired ‘Rising Star’ For ‘Leaking’ Info; Now He’s Fighting Back Against The Network