Haven’t heard any developments on the T&R contract story since last Friday, but I too worry that Rich is on his way out, and that would be a massive mistake.
As some you have mentioned, Rich is the heart and soul of the program. Not only does he do most of the heavy lifting/behind the scenes work, but he’s also a very loyal employee - after all, he essentially kept the show afloat during Fred’s many absences and personal struggles.
The only explanation I can think of relates to the mass layoffs of Sports Hub employees. Perhaps the station’s higher ups took exception to Rich publicly declaring that he would pay Lockhart’s salary? While I totally commend him for that decision, I could see why some empty suits in corporate would interpret that as an F you. But I’m just speculating.
Either way, it would be dumb for them to let Rich walk while simultaneously hitching their wagon to Fred… either keep both hosts or scrap the entire show. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.