'Woke' ESPN is accused of firing NFL host Sam Ponder over her stance on trans athletes, including controversial Olympic boxer Imane Khelif

ESPN is accused of firing NFL Countdown host Sam Ponder because of her criticism of trans women in sports and Olympic boxer Imane Khelif.

“So ESPN fires @samponder, the only woman at the network who [has] three weeks before football season, he publicly said that men don't belong in women's sports?” wrote Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, on X, echoing comments from many others.

“Pathetic… The woke media just got even woker,” one person responded. “This is why ESPN fails.”

Ponder, 38, will be let go after two years of her three-year, $3 million contract but will receive her full salary, DailyMail.com has learned. In addition, the timing of the decision was dictated by the approaching end of the fiscal year on September 30, a source told DailyMail.com.

Ponder recently posted a comment on X about the gender controversy surrounding Khelif, a boxer who is accused of having XY chromosomes.

“XY = male, XX = female,” wrote Ponder.

ESPN is accused of firing Sam Ponder over her criticism of trans women in sports

Riley Gaines suggested Ponder was fired because of her opinions on trans women in sports

Interestingly, Ponder is being fired from ESPN at the same time as NFL analyst Robert Griffin III, who took a different stance on this very issue.

“Imane Khelif is a biological woman and if you want to protect our daughters, you should protect her,” Griffin wrote on X about Khelif, who won gold at the Paris Olympics. “If you don't do the research to find out the truth, we should be protected from you.”

Griffin's firing led to similar speculation that ESPN fired him because of his opinion of Khelif.

“Did ESPN fire RG3 because of this article about Imane Khelif?” journalist Chuck Modi asked X. “Or something else?”

Ponder was not the only ESPN personality to question the International Olympic Committee's decision to allow Khelif to compete as a woman.

Kirk Herbstreit, a longtime college football commentator, was asked on X if “men belong in women's sports,” to which he replied, “Of course not. Ridiculous question.”

Herbstreit was neither fired nor publicly reprimanded by the network for his comment, which Ponder welcomed online.

ESPN has not fired Herbstreit, whose comments about trans women in sports were applauded by Ponder during a social media exchange earlier this month

Like Ponder, Griffin (pictured) was fired from ESPN despite earning around $1 million annually.

Griffin expressed a dissenting opinion to Ponder's about Khelif before he was fired by ESPN

Ponder is married to former Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder (pictured). The couple has three children

Ponder is a graduate of Liberty University and worked at Fox Sports before ESPN

Riley Gaines testifies before a House oversight subcommittee

Riley Gaines testifies during a House Oversight Committee hearing on transgender women

Ponder has not spoken publicly about her dismissal.

When contacted by DailyMail.com, ESPN declined to comment on the departure of Ponder or Griffin.

Ponder already commented on this issue on social media in May 2023.

Responding to a social media post by Gaines, Ponder wrote, “I've barely spoken out publicly on this issue, and so many people have messaged me, stopped me on the street to thank me, and told me stories about girls who are afraid to speak their minds for fear of losing their jobs or being called hateful.”

Ponder is a devout Christian and a graduate of Liberty University. She is the wife of former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder. The couple has three children.

Gaines is a former University of Kentucky swimmer who has been critical of trans women in sports since she finished fifth in the 200-meter freestyle final with trans swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 NCAA Championships.