The author and ex-New York Times sports editor has been bluntly honest in her reviews of ESPN's on-air anchors, analysts, reporters and executives. But Schreiber's two-year tenure expires this spring, said Norby Williamson, ESPN's executive vice president of production.

"We're anxiously looking for the next ombudsperson," Williamson said.

Executive editor John Walsh is leading the search for the next ombudsman to critique ESPN's coverage and decision-making, he added.

Schreiber succeeded ESPN's first ombudsman, former Washington Post columnist George Solomon, who served 21 months, in March 2007. She's been making waves at ESPN since.

In her most recent column, Schreiber criticized her employer for too often, either accidentally or purposefully, making itself the story rather than the news it covers.

"When out of the spotlight, don't ask for it — at least for a while. Let fans get over their ESPN fatigue," Schrieber advised.

Said Williamson about her criticism: "That's her right. That's what we ask her to do. We ask her to challenge us. So we challenge ourselves and make ourselves better. … She's been a great set of eyes and ears to challenge us independently about what we're doing."