One of the most well known television analysts in sports returns to the air this week.
TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley will make his return to the network’s NBA studio show this Thursday. Barkley had been on a leave of absence from TNT’s NBA studio show since his drunk driving arrest in December.
In a statement, Turner Sports President David Levy noted that Barkley “recognized that he used poor judgment,” and “took full responsibility and apologized for his actions.” At a recent golf tournament, Barkley told reporters that his drinking and driving was “stupid, and it was 100 percent my fault.”
In Barkley’s absence, TNT’s Inside the NBA postgame show averaged 859,000 viewers, up 31% from 655,000 viewers during the comparable time frame (January 1-February 14) last year.
