Less than two weeks after Jason Whitlock declined to stay at Fox Sports without getting a raise and parted ways with the network, his replacement has been found.
Beginning the week of June 22, former Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho will take over as the co-host of Speak For Yourself alongside Marcellus Wiley on a “revamped” version of the sports debate show, Fox said in a release.
A part-time player in four NFL season after being picked in the sixth round following a four-year college career with the Texas Longhorns, Acho began working for the Longhorn Network in 2016 following his retirement from pro football.
The 29-year-old transitioned to ESPN in 2018 and was a regular on the network’s Saturday college football programming and appeared on studio shows.
“Emmanuel is the perfect fit for the Fox Sports family because he is thoughtful, inspiring and passionate,” said FS1 content executive VP Charlie Dixon. “He has already achieved an extraordinary amount of success in his short broadcasting career, and we all firmly believe this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Acho, who just hosted Matthew McConaughey on his online show Uncomfortable Conversation with a Black Man to discuss ways to help end systemic racism, called joining the show and filling Whitlock’s vacated spot “an absolute dream come true.”
“Marcellus is like a big brother to me, he’s provided tremendous advice throughout this process, so I’m beyond eager to begin working with him,” Acho said.
Whitlock has not signed with another network as of yet and has said he plans on following the direct-to-consumer model that has worked for sports media personalities like Bill Simmons and Joe Rogan in recent years. Not having a new gig hasn’t stopped the conservative-leaning commentator from continuing to rip Colin Kaepernick.
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