Could former MSNBC and Current TV host Keith Olbermann be making a return to sports TV… at the place where he got his start, no less?

The exceedingly well-sourced James Andrew Miller, the co-author of the terrific book Those Guys Have All The Fun–which chronicles the rise of ESPN–reports in the NY Times that Olbermann wants to return to the iconic sports cable channel in some form. We noted over the weekend that Olbermann appeared in an ESPN “30 for 30″ short film.

Even more amazingly, he got Olbermann, Olbermann’s former “SportsCenter” partner Dan Patrick and ESPN president John Skipper on the record on the matter.

“I had the privilege to spend some time with John Skipper,” [Olbermann] said. “His vision and charm were readily apparent, and judging by his leadership, his family name was prophetic…”

“After the dinner, at that point, there was no real appropriate place for Keith to come back, nor did I feel like I was prepared to bring him back,” Skipper said.

“We don’t have a policy that says we won’t bring somebody back. We’re running a great business, and when we think we can get quality content, there’s no such thing as a condemned list. That said, this is not an easy place to get back into. There are not that many successful examples of people who have come back, in part because it’s like water filling a vacuum. When somebody leaves, somebody else fills their place.”