This past week the Miami Herald newspaper announced a round of layoffs with some members of its sports department losing their jobs as well. Unfortunately for one beloved Miami sports columnist, he was among the layoffs.
On Sunday, longtime columnist Greg Cote, a 54-year veteran of the Herald and a longtime member of The Dan Le Batard Show, announced that he was among the layoffs. He announced that he will speak about the layoffs on Monday’s edition of his podcast.
“A bit of news to share. I must make official that, after 54 years at the @MiamiHerald , I am among the 30 employees laid off in the latest cost-slash by McClatchy. I’ll speak of this for the first time Monday at 7 a.m. on @TheGregCoteShow podcast & our YouTube channel,” Cote wrote on X.
Fans of Cote and his work took to X to express their sympathies over losing his job and told him to keep his head held high.
“You’re an icon, Greg. I grew up reading your NFL picks every Friday during football season, and you always kept your readers informed. Best of luck to you,” one user wrote on X.
“I grew up reading your bad takes and terrible picks, and your good sense of humor. Will miss them being in the Herald. End of an era of eras,” another wrote.
“You were always a must-read for me when I was living in Florida and trying to work my way up in this business. I learned so much from reading your columns. Congratulations on an outstanding career,” wrote a third.
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Layoffs
The timing of Cote’s firing is wild considering that less than two months ago he was on Le Batard’s show talking about how much distaste he has for the way companies lay off their employees, especially in sports media:
“Anytime a big corporation needs to have cutbacks, I think they owe it to the long-serving employees to at least offer them a buyout, at least offer them a chance to go out on their terms,” Cote said in July. “What they shouldn’t do is just abruptly fire somebody without, in the background, saying, ‘Look, retire on your own terms. Take a healthy buyout, and go out the way you want to go out.’”
When Le Batard asked him what kind of buyout he thinks he deserves, Cote said he merely wanted the respect to be able to “exit on my terms.”
“I don’t think I’m owed the next year. I don’t think I’m another year in that company. What I do think I’m owed is the respect for me to fashion an exit on my terms, whether they’re ‘allowing’ me to retire or they’re offering me a buyout I can’t refuse.”
Perhaps on Monday we’ll find out if Cote got his wish.
