Stephen A. Smith breaks silence as ESPN colleague takes immediate leave of absence, ‘Good news to me’

Michael Wilbon is taking an indefinite leave of absence from ESPN due to “multiple health issues “. The legendary sports commentator announced the news on Monday in a statement after his sudden absence from Pardon the Interruption (PTI), which earned Sports Emmy awards in 2009, 2016 and 2017. Wilbon has been absent from his usual spot on PTI opposite Tony Kornheiser since October 26. Now, less than a month after the program celebrated its 25th anniversary, the 67-year-old said he taking a step back from work to address “multiple health issues” he said he should have listened to sooner.