There has been much ink spilled about last monthâs staff-gutting layoffs at the New York Daily News, the tabloid that had its job numbers cut in half by parent company Tronc in late July. A staff that once numbered 400 now would soldier on with just 45 journalists, an unthinkable proposition in Americaâs media capital.
But one of the lingering questions was the status of sports columnist Mike Lupica, the paperâs most visible personality after nearly 40 years there. His most recent Daily News byline â atop a column about Tiger Woods â is from July 22, one day before the layoffs were announced.
That mystery was solved Thursday, when a spokeswoman for Esther âLobsterâ Newberg, Lupicaâs agent, told the New York Post that âMike left the Daily Newsâ to revive the Sunny Randall detective series started by the late novelist Robert B. Parker. Lupicaâs first installment in his Randall series, âBlood Feud,â is set to be published in November.
Lupica has written numerous books, both fiction and nonfiction, with his most recent literary output focusing on stories for young adults.
Tronc spokeswoman Marisa Kollias declined to shed any light on the New York Post story, noting in an email that the company does not comment on personnel matters, so the details of his separation remain unclear. He reportedly was to be included in a previous round of Daily News layoffs in 2015, but he worked out an agreement to stay in exchange for a salary cut. The Big Leadâs Ryan Glasspiegel attempted to clear up Lupicaâs job status Thursday, before the New York Post story appeared, but was unable to get a straight answer.
Except for brief stints with the National Sports Daily and New Yorkâs Newsday in the 1990s, Lupica had been with the Daily News since becoming a sports columnist for the paper in 1977. His columns were at one time considered must-reads for New York sports fans, and he was one of the most visible personalities at the Daily News thanks to his frequent appearances as a panelist on ESPNâs âThe Sports Reporters.â (He became its host in 2016, though the network canceled the Sunday-morning staple the next year.)
Lupica has kept busy since his last Daily News column, writing for MLB.com and releasing new episodes of his podcast.
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