Espn Can’t Take Joke, Sits Olbermann For Two Weeks

Keith Olbermann’s voice mail at ESPN says, “Hi, I’m Keith. I’m not here, and I’m not going to be here for a while.”

The popular ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor either has been suspended or sent home for two weeks, depending on who tells the story.

An unauthorized appearance on Comedy Central was described by ESPN executive editor John Walsh as “one of a number of issues” involved in the action.

On April 16, Olbermann appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” with host Craig Kilborn, former 2 a.m. “SportsCenter” anchor on ESPN and a longtime friend.

“At the end of the show, we do a thing where we play five questions, and we start with geography,” Kilborn said. “I asked Keith to name the most god-forsaken place in the East, and he said Bristol, Connecticut.”

Bristol is the headquarters of ESPN.

“Another question included who is more attractive, ‘The Fabulous Sports Babe’ or Gordie Howe, and Keith went with the hockey player,” Kilborn said.

“The Babe” is Nanci Donnellan, who hosts a morning show on ESPN Radio.

Asked about Olbermann’s answers to the five questions, Walsh said, “I thought they were funny.”

Kilborn said he learned of what Olbermann calls a “suspension with pay” last week when Olbermann called him. Then, Kilborn announced on his show that Olbermann had been put on involuntary leave of absence.

“We’re not calling it a suspension,” Walsh said. “The Comedy Central thing is overblown, and it’s really a non-story as far as we’re concerned.”

Walsh said Olbermann and ESPN were involved in a number of issues and that a brief respite seemed in order, “to gain perspective.”

Olbermann did not immediately respond to his voice mail.

Kilborn, who noted that Olbermann is currently in negotiations with ESPN on a new contract, joked, “You can’t stop ‘The Daily Show,’ you can only hope to contain it.

“As for what got Keith in trouble with ESPN, I’m not sure it was one of the questions or his appearance on the show,” added Kilborn, who was offered a five-year deal by ESPN before deciding to go with “Comedy Central” last July.

“We were a family at ESPN,” Kilborn said. “Those are my friends, the anchors up there. Keith and Dan Patrick are selling a book, and he came on to promote it.”

Kilborn said there was no animosity when he left ESPN.

“Are they upset now? I don’t know,” Kilborn said. “Hey, it’s only TV.”