Howie Schwab Laments 5-Year Anniversary of Losing Job at ESPN
By Kyle Koster
Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of Howie Schwab’s dismissal from ESPN. The man most known for his trivia prowess reflected in the form of several tweets and it appears to still be gnawing at him.
Five years ago, my life changed. My 26-year career was washed away. Yes, I have moved forward, survived the loss of my ill wife Jodi, got married my angel, Suzie.The fact is finding work has not been easy. People don't return calls hen you are 57. Experience doesn't seem to
— Howie Schwab (@howieschwab) June 13, 2018
Matter. Yes, I have had a few things, but it is frustrating to have poured your heart out and ended up being spit out. I was not making Katie Nolan $$ either. The four-letter network has changed, and not for the better. Too bad. I feel for others who have not found work and are
— Howie Schwab (@howieschwab) June 13, 2018
Even more frustrated. If you have been at a company a long time, watch your back. Loyalty doesn't mean a thing any more. This will be the last time I ever talk about the pain of that day, being told I could not say goodbye to friends of over 25 years. I was treated like a joke
— Howie Schwab (@howieschwab) June 13, 2018
When all I did was everything asked of me and more. When they has four-letter network the weekend, they asked me to do six shows a day. They said don't do it, but I said it was ok, it needed to be done. I went out of my way to do a college version of Stump, on ill-fated channel,
— Howie Schwab (@howieschwab) June 13, 2018
And came inat night to do it with Reese Waters and Dany Kanell. Yeah they got screwed too. So did John Clayton, Jason Stark, Merril Hoge,Andy Katz, oh the lists so long. I wish the current prez luck because he is a SJU guy. My friends still there, good luck. The pain may never
— Howie Schwab (@howieschwab) June 13, 2018
Go, but I may soon.
— Howie Schwab (@howieschwab) June 13, 2018
Schwab decoded the potentially macabre tone of his final missive, revealing it to be less dark than some read it.
Hold on. Let me clarify something because a couple of people thought I am jumping off a bridge. The remark was meant about ending my career. It has been frustrating lately. I value the fragile nature of life and have too much to live for. Like Suzie! Thx
— Howie Schwab (@howieschwab) June 14, 2018
His comments ring similar to those he made five years ago upon learning his fate.
“After 26 years at ESPN, I am extremely disappointed to say farewell,” he wrote on Facebook at the time. “I have been proud of my association and my work during my tenure. I was a loyal employee, displayed respect for others, worked with numerous charities, represented the company well. I always did everything asked of me and more. What did I get in return today … word that I should get lost. The only thing that mattered was my salary, which in my view was the lone reason I lost my job.”
His roles since exiting the Mothership have included a job on Sports Jeopardy, and he was the bracketologist for FOX Sports this past college basketball season. He has also moonlighted as a research assistant for Dick Vitale.
Schwab’s Twitter bio includes the line, “I used to work at a so-called worldwide leader,” so his latest thoughts don’t come completely out of left-field. Then again, it’s not routine for a former ESPN employee to make a list of people he believes got screwed by the company or for one to allude to the current salary of one of its new stars.