Beloved analyst ‘out’ at NBC as network begins revamp with major shakeup
Football Night in America is reportedly losing one of its most beloved hosts.
According to a report by The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Tony Dungy is “likely out as a regular on Football Night in America.”
Dungy’s role has been part of a satellite studio, alongside analyst Rodney Harrison and Jac Collinsworth, and was separate from the main NBC football panel.
Experts claimed that having two separate panels created a disjointed viewing experience, especially given the short duration compared to other pre game programs.
The former Indianapolis Colts coach could be kept in a reduced role by the network, similar to Bob Costas and Al Michaels.
Dungy spent 17 years covering the NFL for NBC, and was a beloved member of the panel.
“The Network may take the show fully on the road next season and slim down it’s large cast,” Marchand wrote, hinting that Dungy might not be the only one losing their role.
Dungy threw Hall-of-Fame under bus after shocking Belichick snub
Dungy was the first Black head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl.
Widely respected across the game for his calm leadership, he was inducted into the Hall-of-Fame in 2016.
He coached for 13 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers between 1996-2001, and the Colts between 2002-2008, winning Super Bowl XLI.
In what might have been his final act for the network, he was the subject of intense scrutiny during the network’s Super Bowl LX pre-game coverage.
He received backlash after refusing to share if he had voted for Bill Belichick on his Pro Football Hall of Fame ballot.
Belichick fell just one vote short of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and it’s believed they owe the legendary coach an apology.
“I’m not going to disclose that [whether he voted for Belichick],” he told Collinsworth during NBC’s pre-game Super Bowl coverage this year.
“When you come on the committee, you take an oath that you’re not going to discuss any of the debates, anything that happened there.
“I’m not going to put any of my teammates under the bus who they voted for, who I voted for.”
“In this category, coaches, contributors, senior players; there are five finalists,
“You could vote. We voted as a team. Our group voted. Roger Craig got the most votes. I stand behind that as a teammate. That’s how we voted.
“But here’s the problem. We voted for three people. There are two other slots available. Bill Belichick definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Robert Kraft deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. L.C. Greenwood deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
“Ken Anderson deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. And we’ve got two slots. But because of a change that the Hall of Fame made two years ago, none of those guys got in. And it wasn’t because of us.
“People think that we voted against Bill Belichick. We did not. As a matter of fact, if the same exact vote had taken place, same totals two years ago, Bill Belichick would be in, so would another deserving Hall of Famer. And that’s why I’m upset.”
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