Keith Olbermann is one of the most outspoken members of the media, but he has been very quiet over the past year as he has dealt with a lawsuit against Current TV over his former show and now that the case has been settled, could the anchor return to ESPN?
According to the Associated Press, Olbermann has reached an agreement on a $50 million lawsuit in an out of court settlement between the anchor and the Current TV network. The report says that Olbermann was fired one year ago and sued the network, which sued him back, saying it was "riddled with falsehoods."
The new settlement was not disclosed, but it is likely a large sum, as Current TV founder Al Gore sold the company to Al Jazeera for over $500 million. Olbermann now has the chance to head back in front of the camera and one place could be one of his old jobs at ESPN.
According to EW.com, the "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" host could head back to the place he used to work from 1992 to 1997, when ESPN was one of the most popular networks on TV (they still are). Olbermann helped make SportsCenter very popular and although he is a bombastic personality, president John Skipper could bring him back.
The NY Times reported that Skipper and Olbermann met for lunch recently, although he later said that no job was offered.
"I agreed to dinner with Keith because I assumed he'd be provocative and witty and fun to have dinner with, and he was indeed lots of fun," Skipper told the Times. "Clearly he was looking to see if there was an entry point to come back ... After the dinner, at that point, there was no real appropriate place for Keith to come back, nor did I feel like I was prepared to bring him back."
Olbermann mentioned a number of times in the book Those Guys Have All the Fun, by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales, which gave an oral history of ESPN. Here is one excerpt that shows why it might be an issue for him to return.
"Keith was tough on everybody. There was a rumor a few years ago that maybe he would come back, and one of our coordinating producers said, 'I think it would be a good idea but with one caveat. If we hire Olbermann back, he first has to stand in the reception area and everybody who wants to, gets to come up and punch him in the stomach.'" - ESPN's Rece Davis.
