Elle Duncan went out with a bang in her ESPN farewell on Tuesday.
After a decade at the Worldwide Leader, Duncan hosted her final “SportsCenter” show before heading to Netflix and offered a few final words in defense of her company, which receives a wide range of ongoing criticisms.
“Before I leave this desk, there is something I want to say. I see the headlines. Some are earned. Some, I believe are not,” Duncan said. “And anyone in this chair knows that criticism is just part of the job, and you take it. But the faces of this place are not the soul of this place.
“The soul is the thousands of people who work here. No spotlight, and still all the scrutiny. People from every background, with every kind of belief, and from every zip code. There is no hidden agenda here, folks. Just the kind that many of you have there at home. To put food on the table, maybe to send your kids to college, do some work that matters. Build a life.”
ESPN has received a number of targeted criticisms over the years, such as conflict of interest, alleged political bias, programming decisions and more.
Duncan pleads that fans “try to see” the “heartbeat” of the company — the editors, producers, directors. From working “College GameDay” to the WNBA Finals, Duncan has found herself surrounded by a number of faceless names to the public that make the company move forward each day.
Duncan, who joined “SportsCenter” in 2016 after working as a sports reporter in Boston, will now become the face of Netflix’s sports operation in the new year as the streaming brand covers more and more live sports.
“And to you my colleagues and peers, I want to say this directly. Thank you so much. Thank you for the send off,” she said emotionally. “Thank you for the hallway smiles, for the late nights researching, for the very early mornings. For saying my name in rooms that I was not in. For trusting me to toe the line and knowing when not to. For pushing me, holding me accountable, making this place feel as close to home as not-home can be. You made this last decade a gift.”
Duncan’s parting words were a shoutout to her Broncos and Georgia football fandom, claiming that if either team pulls out a championship this year, she will be “breaking into this b–h” to gloat around the ESPN halls.
