"Not Going to Have Blood on My Hands": ESPN Journalist Gets Honest Over Exit After 24 Year Career Amid Network's Gambling Ties
ESPN journalist Nicole Noren resigned after 24 years over the network's sports gambling partnerships, citing family history of gambling addiction.Summary
Nicole Noren, an investigative producer and documentary filmmaker, resigned from ESPN in July 2024 after a 24-year career. She publicly explained her reasons for the first time on October 14, 2026, telling the Columbia Journalism Review that she refused to work for a gambling company and have "blood on my hands." Her departure followed ESPN's deepening ties to sports betting, including a 10-year, $1.5 billion licensing deal with Penn Entertainment in August 2023 that launched ESPN BET in November 2023, and a multi-year deal with DraftKings signed in November 2025. Noren, whose grandfather, father, and one brother were devastated by sports gambling addiction, said the normalization of betting at ESPN troubled her. Since leaving, she has become an independent filmmaker and investigative journalist heading her own production company, with projects including The Green Truck (2026), Missing at Sea (2025), and Out of Bounds: In Search of Antonio Brown (2025). She continues to raise awareness about gambling addiction and sports media ethics.
(Source：Essentially Sports)