Rob Marciano Found ABC Exit 'Unexpected' as Colleagues Defend His 'Professional' and 'Positive' Behavior: Sources

A source who works with Marciano calls recent reports about Maricano's behavior a "hit job," while another female colleague tells PEOPLE that he personally "championed my career"

Rob Marciano and the colleagues closest to him are bewildered by his departure from ABC.

On April 30, PEOPLE confirmed that the meteorologist, 55, no longer held his position at ABC News and Good Morning America. Now that the dust has started to settle, a source who regularly works with Marciano tells PEOPLE that he and his current colleagues found the news of his departure to be "unexpected."

The source also claims that headlines circulating about the broadcaster's alleged bad behavior feel like a "hit job."

"Rob is always positive, hands on and never anything but professional," the source says. "People enjoy working with him and he's not difficult to work with."

Related: Rob Marciano, Meteorologist at Good Morning America, Out at ABC News

The source says many at the network feel it's "unbelievable he was let go."

"The Rob Marciano being portrayed is not the Rob Marciano we know," he added, sharing that he's never heard "anything but praise" for the meteorologist and his work ethic. “Rob has always been nothing but professional. He is truly invested in his segments, cares a tremendous amount about his final work product."

Another female editor who worked with Marciano on his weather segment corroborated those sentiments, noting how “Rob was always such a nice guy and I loved when he stopped by my edit room to check on his weather packages."

Related: GMA's Rob Marciano Was Known for His 'Temper' Before ABC Exit, Says Former Colleague: 'No One Is Surprised' (Exclusive)

A third insider who spent a decade at CNN with Marciano tells PEOPLE that her "heart hurts" seeing all of the negative reports about the weather reporter.

"Rob is great. No one championed my career in that building more than he did and no one took care of the crew in the field better than he did in my 10 years of working there," she explains. "I had plenty of really bad encounters at CNN and people who treated me terribly."

The source went on to describe him as a person who "answered the calls and said, 'Let's get coffee and you can tell me about it.'" She adds, "He listened. He helped."

A fourth female colleague who also previously worked with him tells PEOPLE that she isn't "exaggerating" when she calls Marciano the "nicest, most professional and respectful person I’ve ever worked with."

“He was hard-working and kind to everyone. So many people in news can be cut-throat, or creepy, or generally unpleasant, but Rob is not one of them," she says. "He’s the definition of a standup guy."

Related: 'GMA' Meteorologist Rob Marciano's Wife Eryn Files for Divorce After 11 Years of Marriage

Before Marciano's official departure, the broadcaster had reportedly been temporarily banned from the show's studio in New York City due to his allegedly inappropriate behaviors, per Page Six. However, Marciano continued to report the weather for ABC from outside locations.

Swetha Sharma, who previously worked at the same company as Marciano, told PEOPLE on May 1 that he had been known to be quick to anger and that news of his departure was well understood by those who collaborated with him.

"He was nice but that also wasn't everyone's experience with him," Sharma explained. "There were always stories about him about his temper. No one that worked with him or witnessed his behavior is surprised by any of this."

Marciano became ABC News' senior meteorologist in July 2014 and has since continued his work reporting the weather on Good Morning America. He made his official debut on the morning show in September of the same year. The broadcaster had previously worked for Entertainment Tonight and CNN.

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