Maria Taylor Joins NBC Sports Days After Leaving ESPN, Makes On-Air Debut for Olympics Coverage
Maria Taylor has joined NBC Sports after her recent departure from ESPN.
Mike Tirico introduced Taylor on air Friday night as newest member of the “NBC Sports and Olympic family.”
“Maria, welcome to Tokyo and the team,” he said.
“Thank you so much, Mike. It’s an honor to be a part of this team and the Olympic legacy,” Taylor said.
We are so thrilled to welcome @MariaTaylor to the NBC Sports family! pic.twitter.com/e4pRGgui2G
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 24, 2021
Taylor shared her debut on Twitter and commented, “Olympic dream come true.”
Olympic dream come true ❤️@nbc #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/Qlcoz8rBVh
— Maria Taylor (@MariaTaylor) July 24, 2021
She left ESPN following controversy from disparaging comments made by former colleague Rachel Nichols. As the New York Times reported earlier this month, Nichols suggested on a 2020 call that Taylor was chosen to host NBA Finals coverage because the network was “feeling pressure about your crappy longtime record on diversity.” Nichols publicly apologized and was subsequently pulled from coverage of the NBA Finals.
The announcement of Taylor departing ESPN came just days ago, with the network saying in a statement “after much discussion, an agreement on a contract extension could not be reached.”
