ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky reveals why he deleted controversial tweet amid Imane Khelif Olympics row as network fires Sam Ponder

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky explained why he decided to delete a tweet following the gender spat surrounding the Olympics with Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.

Khelif became embroiled in a gender dispute at this summer’s Olympics after he was cleared to compete against women in Paris, only to be disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the IBA after reportedly failing eligibility tests.

After Italian boxer Angela Carini tearfully pulled out of her fight against Khelif in Paris, the Algerian was criticized by several figures including X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Harry Potter author JK Rowling, despite the fact that her passport states she is a woman.

Amid the controversy, Orlovsky was one of many who wrote on social media: “Protect our daughters.”

The former quarterback has since deleted the post, which was used to criticize the inclusivity of trans athletes at the Olympics.

The analyst wrote: ‘protect our daughters’ amid the controversy that has gripped Imane Khelif

Orlovsky, one of ESPN’s most respected NFL analysts, admitted this week that his decision to delete the tweet stemmed from his image with the network.

“If you’re an employee of a large company, your social media page isn’t just your own social media page,” Orlovsky said Barrett Media.

“That’s a fantasy, so you have to represent yourself and the company you work for in the right way.”

His comments come after ESPN fired Sam Ponder and Robert Griffin III just weeks before the start of the NFL season, a double firing that led to accusations of “wokeism.”

The move comes after Griffin and Ponder, who were reportedly making more than $1 million a year and had several years left on their contracts, spoke out about Khelif — albeit with differing views.

Ponder recently posted a comment on X about the gender controversy surrounding Khelif, a female boxer who was accused of having XY chromosomes.

“XY = male XX = female,” Ponder wrote.

She will be released two years into her three-year, $3 million contract but will receive her full salary, DailyMail.com has learned. In addition, the timing of the decision was determined by the approaching end of the fiscal year on September 30, a source told DailyMail.com.

NFL Countdown host Sam Ponder was fired by the network earlier this week

ESPN has not fired Kirk Herbstreit, whose comments about trans women in sports were applauded by Ponder during a social media exchange earlier this month

Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines accused the network of firing Ponder because of her stance during the transgender athlete debate.

‘So ESPN is firing @samponder, the only woman at the network who [has] “Openly saying that men don’t belong in women’s sports three weeks before football season?” Gaines wrote on X, echoing the comments of many others.

Ponder wasn’t the only ESPN personality to question the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow Khelif to compete as a woman.

Veteran college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit was asked on X whether “men belong in women’s sports,” to which he replied, “Of course not. Ridiculous question.”

Herbstreit was not fired or publicly reprimanded by the network for the comment, which Ponder applauded online.

Khelif is not a transgender woman, but it is alleged that she has male XY chromosomes. This led to her disqualification from the 2023 World Championships after she failed an unknown gender test from the now-banned IBA.

Following online protests over her participation in the Olympics, the boxer has filed a lawsuit in France for cyberbullying, with Musk and Rowling reportedly named.

Riley Gaines suggested Ponder was fired for her views on trans women in sports

Angela Carini (right) gave up her battle with Khelif after just 46 seconds at Roland Garros

Khelif’s arm was duly raised, although Carini refused to shake her winner’s hand after the match

Khelif was paraded around the ring on the shoulders of her coach in front of hundreds of fans

Former US President Donald Trump also called the fighter a “man”, and Khelif admitted she was “affected” by the “noise”.

Speaking in France after winning gold, Khelif said with tears in his eyes: ‘For eight years this was my dream and now I am an Olympic champion and gold medalist.

“That also gives my success a special touch because of those attacks. We are at the Olympic Games to perform as athletes, and I hope that we will not see similar attacks at the Olympic Games in the future.

“I am fully qualified to participate in this competition. I am a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman and I am qualified.”