Is Adrian Wojnarowski Actually Retiring?

What I think Woj's ESPN exit is really about

Adrian Wojnarowski, lead ESPN NBA newsbreaker and perpetual muse here at House of Strauss, has announced his surprise retirement.

I grew up the son of a factory worker two miles from ESPN's campus and only ever dreamed of making a living as a sportswriter. Thirty-seven years ago, the Hartford Courant gave me my first byline and I never stopped chasing the thrill of it. This craft transformed my life, but I've decided to retire from ESPN and the news industry. I understand the commitment required in my role and it's an investment that I'm no longer driven to make. Time isn't in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful.

Woj is leaving to become the general manager of the men's basketball program at St. Bonaventure, his beloved Alma mater. So far, per the statement, this has been framed as a work/life balance exit towards sanity. Plugged in sports media journalist Andrew Marchand reports that Woj is walking away from 20 million left on his contract. As said by Adam Schefter, the NFL’s more TV friendly version of Woj:

He wanted his life back. He didn't want to have to work on holidays. He didn't want to be away from more family gatherings. He didn't want to have to...take a shower with your phone up against the shower door so you can see a text that's coming in, or take your phone with you to the urinal and hold it in one hand while you take care of your business in the other. That's the life that we live.

I buy the narrative…and don’t completely buy it. And I consider my skepticism a compliment towards Adrian in a way. That which is getting framed as a responsible family man sidelining himself looks like a different kind of ambition from another vantage point. Let’s get into it.