You remember the sound. That digital "mute" button screeching across the screen. Back in the mid-2000s, there wasn't a more polarizing figure on sports television than the guy in the Chicago box. Around the Horn Jay Mariotti was the man everyone loved to hate, a columnist who didn't just share opinions—he lobbed grenades.
He was the foundational antagonist of ESPN's afternoon block. While guys like Woody Paige brought the goofy chalkboards and Bill Plaschke brought the sentiment, Mariotti brought the edge. He was a "founding father" of the format, appearing nearly every single day for eight years. Then, in the blink of an eye during the summer of 2010, he was gone. No goodbye tour. No tribute video. Just a permanent mute.
The Rise of the Paper Killer
Jay Mariotti didn't start as a TV star. He was a ink-stained wretch from the old school, a guy who made his bones at the Chicago Sun-Times. In Chicago, he was a force of nature. He didn't just cover the White Sox or the Cubs; he interrogated them. He once got into such a heated feud with Sox manager Ozzie Guillén that it led to a legendary, profanity-laced tirade from the skipper.
When Around the Horn premiered on November 4, 2002, the concept was weird. It was a sports debate show styled like a video game. Max Kellerman was the original host, but the heartbeat of the show was the "National Four." Mariotti represented the Midwest, and he played the role of the uncompromising critic to perfection.
He was incredibly hardworking. Tony Reali, the long-time host who took over in 2004, recently noted that nobody worked harder than Jay. He was on that show every day, regardless of what was happening in his life. He helped build the "hot take" industry before we even had a name for it. He was the guy you tuned in to see get muted because his takes were so abrasive you just wanted to see him lose points.
Why he left the Sun-Times
In 2008, Mariotti did something that shocked the journalism world. He quit the Chicago Sun-Times. He didn't leave for another paper. He left because he claimed newspapers were "dead." He called them obsolete.
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He moved over to AOL’s FanHouse, which at the time was trying to become the digital king of sports media. This move only amplified his presence on ESPN. He was the national voice of the digital age, still sitting in that box every afternoon at 5:00 PM ET, racking up points and drawing the ire of sports fans nationwide.
The 2010 Arrest and the Sudden Exit
Everything changed on August 21, 2010. Mariotti was arrested in Los Angeles following a confrontation with his girlfriend. The details were messy. The allegations involved domestic violence, and for a network like Disney-owned ESPN, the optics were impossible.
He was immediately suspended.
Initially, there was a sense of "wait and see," but the legal troubles didn't stay quiet. In September 2010, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery count. While he has maintained his innocence for over a decade—claiming he only took the plea to avoid the astronomical costs of a trial—the damage to his TV career was terminal.
ESPN released a statement saying they had "no plans" to use him. That’s corporate speak for "you’re done."
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The 2011 Legal Escalation
Just when it seemed things might settle, they got worse. In 2011, Mariotti faced new felony charges related to stalking and assault involving the same woman. Prosecutors alleged he confronted her at a restaurant on the very day he pleaded no contest in the first case.
He eventually pleaded no contest again, this time to felony stalking and assault charges. He was sentenced to five years of probation and community service. His days of being the face of ESPN’s afternoon lineup were officially over.
Around the Horn Without Mariotti
For years, the show moved on. It evolved from a combative shouting match into a more playful, "woke" (as Jay calls it), and diverse roundtable. But the ghost of Around the Horn Jay Mariotti never quite left.
If you ask Jay today—and people still do—he’ll tell you the show died the day he left. In recent interviews, specifically with Front Office Sports in 2025, Mariotti didn't hold back. He thinks the show became too political. He blames former ESPN president John Skipper for installing "anti-Trump" voices and moving away from pure sports.
He also hates the "new" look. He thinks having 20 or 30 different panelists ruined the chemistry. "I think they lost the continuity," he said. To him, the show was built on a familiar bond between 6 or 8 core guys. When it became a rotating door of newcomers, he felt the audience lost their connection.
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Tony Reali’s Perspective
Tony Reali has a much different take. He’s reached out to Jay several times over the last 14 years. He wants to bridge the gap. He acknowledges Jay as a "founding father" of the show, but he also sees the "hurt" Jay still carries. Reali has mentioned that he likes to give Mariotti a shout-out on air because you simply cannot tell the history of the show's first decade without him.
But there’s a clear rift. Jay views the current version of Around the Horn as a shell of its former self. Reali views it as an evolution.
Where is Jay Mariotti Now?
In 2026, Jay Mariotti is still writing. He’s transitioned to the Substack era, hosting The Sports Column. He also has a podcast called Unmuted—a cheeky nod to the very thing that made him famous.
He spent a brief year as the sports director for the San Francisco Examiner back in 2015-2016, but that didn't last. He seems more comfortable now being a lone wolf. He’s still "the villain" in many ways, challenging the "trillion-dollar industry" from his own corner of the internet.
What we can learn from the Mariotti Era
Looking back, the Mariotti era of Around the Horn was a specific moment in time. It was the birth of the "debate" format. It taught us that:
- Conflict sells. The show thrived because people wanted to see the panelists fight.
- Reputation is fragile. You can be the top dog at ESPN one day and a persona non grata the next.
- The "Old Guard" and "New Media" will always clash. Jay's criticism of the show's current "woke" direction is a classic example of the generational divide in sports media.
Actionable Insights for Sports Media Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into this specific era of sports media or want to see what Jay is up to now, here is what you should do:
- Check out his Substack: If you miss his specific brand of "flaming hot takes," his The Sports Column on Substack is where he currently puts his daily thoughts. It’s unfiltered and very much in the style of his old Sun-Times columns.
- Listen to early episodes: You can find clips of the 2002-2005 era of Around the Horn on YouTube. Watching the dynamic between Mariotti and a young Max Kellerman is a masterclass in early 2000s sports culture.
- Follow the Finale: With Around the Horn reportedly reaching its conclusion after 23 years, keep an eye on whether Tony Reali manages to get the "founding fathers" back for one last segment. Jay has expressed doubt that he’d be invited, but in the world of sports media, never say never.