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Former SportsCenter anchor Rich Eisen is reportedly returning to ESPN after a 23-year absence from the network, the Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported on Monday (May 12).
Eisen, who left ESPN during the launch of NFL Network in 2003, will reportedly take his daily afternoon talk show, The Rich Eisen Show, from Roku to ESPN in the fall with the possibility that it could also include an ESPN Radio slot. The deal, which is still being "ironed out," will be similar to former NFL punter Pat McAfee's as Eisen's program will be licensed by ESPN but he's expected to maintain ownership and editorial control, according to Marchand.
Eisen, 55, will reportedly remain with NFL Network as he will continue hosting NFL GameDay and the network's NFL Draft coverage, as well as resume his play-by-play duties for international games. The veteran broadcaster had previously worked at ESPN from 1996 to 2003, which included co-anchoring SportsCenter alongside the late Stuart Scott, as well as hosting the ESPN reality series Beg, Borrow & Deal and Major League Baseball games on CBS Radio.
Eisen was the main host of NFL Network's flagship show, NFL Total Access, from the network's launch to August 2011 and launched NFL.com's first-ever podcast, The Rich Eisen Podcast in 2010, prior to the debut of The Rich Eisen Show in 2014.