Fox is reportedly close to a deal with Sean Payton and could be pursuing NBC’s Drew Brees. Plus: Sage Steele is suing ESPN; Amazon is filling out its NFL roster; and more.
Fox close to Payton deal, could be after NBC’s Brees
Former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is close to a deal to join Fox Sports as an NFL studio analyst, the New York Post reported Wednesday. Payton would primarily appear on “Fox NFL Kickoff” and serve as a contributor on the main “Fox NFL Sunday” pregame show. There have not been any discussions about Payton potentially filling the vacancy left by Troy Aikman on game telecasts.
Earlier in the week, the Post reported that NBC analyst Drew Brees is a contender for the Fox game analyst position. As NBC has signed Cris Collinsworth to a long-term extension, any succession plan NBC had in mind using Brees would seem to no longer be in place. [NYP 4.25, 4.27]
Steele suing ESPN over podcast flap
ESPN SportsCenter anchor Sage Steele is suing the network and parent company Disney alleging that the network breached her contract and violated Connecticut law when it temporarily took her off the air following comments she made on a Jay Cutler podcast last year. Steele’s suit says ESPN punished her by “withholding prime hosting assignments” until she began initiating legal action, at which point the network assigned her a role on its Masters coverage.
Steele’s lawsuit also claims ESPN failed to take action against colleagues who criticized her publicly or refused to work with her. ESPN on Wednesday said that Steele remains a “valued contributor.” The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. [WSJ 4.27]
Amazon pursuing Adams, Hartung for TNF
The New York Post reported this week that NFL Network “Good Morning Football” host Kay Adams and former ESPN reporter Kaylee Hartung are the leading candidates for the roles of studio host and sideline reporter, respectively, on Amazon’s new Thursday Night Football package. Adams is departing “Good Morning Football” but Hartung would likely continue in her current role as a reporter for ABC News.
The NFL announced Thursday that Amazon’s first exclusive Thursday Night Football game will be Chargers-Chiefs on September 15. [NYP 4.25, 4.26, NFL PR]
Plus: Herbstreit, Benetti, Black Friday NFL
ESPN NFL analyst Kirk Herbstreit is not attending the ongoing NFL Draft due to a blood clot in his leg. … NBC Sports this week named Jason Benetti the lead play-by-play voice for the new Peacock Major League Baseball package. Benetti, who calls White Sox games for NBC Sports Chicago and works national games for ESPN, will be joined each week by local analysts for the participating teams. In addition to Benetti on play-by-play, the Peacock broadcasts — titled “MLB Sunday Leadoff” — will feature Ahmed Fareed in the studio. … The NFL is expected to grant Amazon’s request for an annual Black Friday game by next year at the earliest, NBC Sports reported this week. Amazon would pay $70-100 million for the game, on top of the billion per year it pays for Thursday night rights. [ESPN, NBC Sports PR, NBCSports.com 4.25]
