Charles Barkley says he is no longer considering a move to LIV Golf. Plus: Jason Benetti is officially going to Fox; and more, including updates on Big Ten and NFL Sunday Ticket negotiations.
Barkley passing on LIV, says he will stay with Turner for rest of TV career
Turner Sports NBA analyst Charles Barkley told the New York Post Friday that he will no longer consider any potential offer from LIV Golf and will remain with Turner for the rest of his television career. Barkley, who had dinner with LIV CEO Greg Norman earlier this month, had expressed interest in joining LIV if the price was right.
LIV never made Barkley an official offer. He told The Dan Patrick Show earlier this week that he would back out of any potential talks if he did not receive an offer by the end of the day Thursday, in part so as not to string Turner along further. Relaying his conversation with LIV officials to the Post, Barkley said: “I’m not going to be unfair to Turner. I’m not going to be unfair to my sponsors. This is the decision — and that’s it.'” [NYP 7.29]
Fox officially announces Benetti hiring
Fox Sports officially announced Thursday that it has hired play-by-play voice Jason Benetti away from ESPN. Benetti will debut on the coming college football season. News of the move was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. Per previous reports, Benetti will continue in his role as voice of the Chicago White Sox. [Fox Sports PR]
Plus: Big Ten talks, Sunday Ticket, Osweilier, Dale Jr.
The Big Ten expects to complete its media rights negotiations by Labor Day, Fox Sports president Mark Silverman told The Athletic this week. … The New York Times reported last weekend that Google has made a bid for NFL Sunday Ticket in which the out-of-market package would be distributed by YouTube. Amazon and Apple have been the primary bidders thus far. … ESPN on Thursday announced the hiring of former Broncos QB Brock Osweilier as a college football game analyst. … NBC Sports NASCAR analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. will serve as an analyst for Saturday’s IndyCar Series race from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while his IndyCar counterpart James Hincliffe will call the NASCAR Xfinity Series race from the same track later in the day. [The Athletic 7.27, NYT 7.24, ESPN PR, NBC Sports PR]
