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ESPN television personality Skip Bayless and his crazy statements are leaving the network at the end of the NBA Finals.

The announcement came out today via ESPN.

Per a statement released by the network:

Skip Bayless has decided to leave ESPN when his contract expires at the end of August.

His final appearance on First Take will be the day after the NBA Finals conclude.

We want to thank Skip for his many contributions to ESPN. His hard work and talent have benefited ESPN for 12 years.

Deadspin is reporting that Skip is leaving to join Fox Sports.

Skip made a name for himself reporting on the Dallas Cowboys championship teams of the early 1990’s, writing for the Dallas Morning Star and publishing three books on the franchise. One of them, 1996’s Hell Bent: The Crazy Truth About the “Win or Else” Dallas Cowboys, caused a stir after inferred that star quarterback Troy Aikman was gay.

He gained most of his popularity for being a panelist/co-host on ESPN’s First Take where he squares off every morning with Stephen A. Smith. The show boosted his profile thanks to his sometimes poignant, other times questionable remarks.

He also became a household name for his heated and tense exchanges with professional athletes, especially that time he was schooled on air by Seattle Seahawks’ cornerback Richard Sherman.

It has been reported that Skip Bayless turned down a $4 million offer from ESPN to stay put. If the reports of him going to Fox Sports are true, expect even more outlandish statements.

While Skip does catch a rap for making race-tinged observations, to his credit, he was one of the first writers to cover Doug Williams, the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl, while he was still playing at Grambling State University.

Photo: Screenshot