ESPN Receives Strong 'Warning' About Monica McNutt

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ESPN Receives Strong 'Warning' About Monica McNutt originally appeared on The Spun.
ESPN analyst Monica McNutt may have lost her hosting privileges after making an embarrassing mistake on "First Take." At the very least, there might be friction behind the scenes.
McNutt joined ESPN in 2019 as an ACC Network analyst. Two years later, she started making regular appearances on "SportsCenter" and "NBA Today." She also became a key figure for the network's coverage of the WNBA and women's college basketball. When she's not part of ESPN's national coverage, she's calling games on the radio for the New York Knicks.
Prior to becoming an analyst for ESPN, McNutt made appearances on Fox Sports 1, CBS Sports Network and Turner/NBA TV. She was even included in NBC's coverage of the 2021 Summer Olympics.
So what went wrong for McNutt? On last Friday's episode of "First Take," she didn't realize special guest Druski was wearing a Barry Sanders jersey. She assumed his jersey was affiliated with Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
"It's a blast to have you here, thank you so much for joining us. The jersey, obviously, ties to Shedeur Sanders," McNutt told Druski.
The popular comedian quickly replied, "No, no, no, no, no. This is, uh, Barry Sanders."
McNutt could lose the locker room at ESPN.
According to OutKick, "countless ESPN staffers" were embarrassed by McNutt's mistake.
"Since Saturday, OutKick has heard from countless ESPN staffers about the segment. Many prefaced their reactions with, "I like Monica, but …" Still, they were embarrassed—for her, for the producers, for management, and for the ESPN brand," Bobby Burack wrote. "Barry Sanders is one of the greatest players in NFL history. McNutt didn't know who he is. That's not a blunder. That's a lack of knowledge, history, and preparation. It's inexcusable."
Some fans called out ESPN over the weekend, declaring that McNutt should be fired.
ESPN has McNutt under contract for a few more years.
Back in October 2024, ESPN agreed to a new contract with McNutt. As part of that agreement, she has received an expanded role for the network's NBA and WNBA coverage.
If ESPN wants to avoid causing any controversy this fall, McNutt should stick to covering basketball. Besides, the network has plenty of other analysts to cover the NFL, including Ryan Clark, Dan Orlovsky and Marcus Spears.
We'll see if ESPN adjusts McNutt's role on "First Take" or allows last week's Barry Sanders blunder to fly.
ESPN Receives Strong 'Warning' About Monica McNutt first appeared on The Spun on Aug 19, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared.