Charles Davis spent decades covering the NFL with NFL Network, becoming a familiar voice during the NFL Draft and other major events. However, his long association with the network ended abruptly in 2026, following ESPN’s acquisition of NFL Network and the subsequent wave of layoffs that affected several prominent broadcasters and other media personnel.
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As that happened, the layoffs raised questions about how ESPN handled the departures of longtime NFL Network employees as the two organizations began integrating their operations. For Davis, however, the issue extended beyond losing his position. The veteran broadcaster recently revealed that he learned about his dismissal via social media after nearly 20 years with the network.
“I didn’t find out the way you should find out,” said Davis during a recent interview with Barrett Media’s John Mamola. “I didn’t have a boss call me or give me a heads-up. Instead, I was in the Magic Kingdom with my wife, our son, and nephew. We saw it on social media right as we were about to ride Space Mountain. I cannot make that up. We hopped on Space Mountain and had to deal with it afterward. Then I heard from a person who should have told me that before it all went down about an hour later.”
Davis joined NFL Media in 2006 and became a regular contributor to its NFL Draft coverage, while working on its live draft broadcasts since 2007, alongside its Scouting Combine and draft-preparation programming.
In 2026, however, ESPN acquired NFL Network and other NFL media assets in a deal finalized in January. The deal included NFL RedZone’s pay-TV distribution rights and NFL Fantasy, with the NFL receiving a 10% noncontrolling equity stake in ESPN.
Subsequently, a major round of layoffs followed, affecting certain veteran broadcasters, including Charles Davis, Ryan Clark, who had been working with ESPN for a decade, Tom Pelissero, who had been with the NFL Network since 2017, and Karl Ravech, who had been with ESPN since 1993.
Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a memo that most of the job impacts were connected to integrating the acquired assets.
“Over the past several months, we’ve made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN,” wrote Pitaro. “Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structure to best position us for the future. As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today.
“While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted. We are committed to treating employees with compassion and respect and to providing support as they navigate this transition.”
For Charles Davis, however, it wasn’t the end of his broadcasting career. In fact, he was already scheduled to become CBS Sports’ lead college football analyst in 2026, replacing Gary Danielson, who announced his retirement after the 2025 college football season.
“For the past two decades, Charles has been among the best analysts across the NFL and college football,” said David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports. “He’s well known to fans, from calling college football national championships to NFL playoff games to the voice of ‘Madden NFL. We’re thrilled Charles will be returning to his roots — college football — and calling our top Big Ten game each week.”
That said, Charles Davis will continue his broadcasting career with CBS Sports despite an abrupt end to his NFL Network tenure. However, his account of learning about his dismissal raises questions about how ESPN communicated with longtime employees during the transition.