As previously reported, John Bradshaw Layfield is leaving from his announcing role on SmackDown Live to focus on his work with at-risk children and communities.
In an update, Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reports that JBL actually gave his notice to the company eleven months ago when his contract expired last October. This would indicate that him leaving the company had nothing to do with the Mauro Ranallo allegations.
Barrasso suggests that Layfield’s exit may have been over travel issues. WWE had originally arrange for Layfield to arrive each week on Sunday, however he would not be used until Tuesday. Leyfield changed his own travel schedule so he would arrive solely for his responsibilities on SmackDown each Tuesday. He did this for about two months before he was confronted about it.