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Sources: Olbermann's inability to get a job cited in Current TV settlement

Keith Olbermann has settled his $50 million lawsuit with Current TV, bringing an end to the almost year-long legal dispute over the outspoken host's dismissal from the liberal news network.

The terms of the settlement, which was reported earlier this week, were not released. But two sources familiar with the negotiations now tell POLITICO that during the mediation stage, Olbermann's legal representatives cited his inability to get a job at another network -- a move one source close to the negotiations interpreted as an effort to gain sympathy for Olbermann.

"One of the cards his people played was hardship," the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told POLITICO. "He spent last fall talking to all the major networks, and he couldn't get a job. The idea was, this could be the last money he ever earned."

The source said Olbermann's lawyers used this as "a bargaining chip" to "appeal to the sympathy" of Current TV executives, but said it was unclear if that factored into Current TV's decision to agree to a settlement.

Olbermann did not respond to a request for comment regarding the discussion; his manager Michael Price declined to comment, citing confidentiality. Current TV spokesperson Tony Fox also declined to comment, citing confidentiality.

POLITICO has confirmed that Olbermann approached numerous cable and broadcast news channels, including ABC News, in pursuit of a job while still on contract with Current TV. Olbermann has also approached non-news networks, including ESPN and AMC, the channel that broadcasts "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," sources told POLITICO.

But when representatives from Current TV complained in mediation that Olbermann had violated his contract by pursuing other employment opportuntities, Olbermann's representatives responded by pointing out that nothing had come of those talks, according to the sources.

"No one would hire him, and that became a negotiating ploy," a source told POLITICO.

Olbermann, a former ESPN sportscaster, was MSNBC's marquee primetime personality for nearly a decade, hosting "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." He joined Current, the network co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore, just weeks after departing MSNBC in January 2011.

Olbermann and Current soon butted heads, and Olbermann was ultimately fired in April 2012. Olbermann filed a lawsuit against the network for $50 million, claiming he was improperly terminated one year into his five-year contract. Current responded by claiming Olbermann had made "material breaches of his contract, including the failure to show up at work, sabotaging the network and attacking Current and its executives."

One source who spoke with POLITICO said the settlement between Olbermann and Current TV was "significantly less" than $50 million, though that could not be confirmed with other sources.

In January, Current TV was sold to Al Jazeera, the global news network based in Doha, Qatar, for $500 million.