Welcome to a new feature on Sports Media Watch. In “On the Air,” Sports Media Watch Podcast co-host Armand Broady will offer in-depth breakdowns of broadcasters’ on-air performance and career journeys, plus chronicle broader trends in the industry.
Robert Griffin III will reportedly be back in a college football booth this fall, this time as the #2 game analyst for Fox Sports. It’s a career resurgence of sorts for the former Heisman Trophy winner, after ESPN shockingly laid him off in August 2024.
Seldom does sports broadcasting success come as quickly as it did for Griffin. After famously nailing his 2021 game analyst auditions for both ESPN and Fox, Griffin signed with ESPN and swiftly became one of its most prominent football voices. ESPN wisely paired him with play-by-play veteran Mark Jones, whose well-known magniloquent style meshed with Griffin’s off-center approach.
Griffin was unconventional, fresh and funny. Whether it was running down the hill before a Clemson home game or jumping into a body of water during a broadcast of Boise State vs. Washington, Griffin’s lighthearted, devil-may-care attitude created television magic.
Media professionals and fans had largely reached the same conclusion. As a 2022 Sports Illustrated cover story put it, “Robert Griffin III is ESPN’s Next Big Star.”
Industry pros shared those sentiments. ESPN producer Kim Belton said in an interview with The Athletic back in 2023, “He has what some of the greats of the past have, and that’s the realization that sports are entertainment, and consequently, you don’t have to be an entertainer, but you have to be entertaining.”
So popular and impressive was the former college football and NFL QB that, in just his second year as a broadcaster, Griffin was added to the set of ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown. He’d become ubiquitous, eventually adding First Take, NFL Live and Get Up to his host of responsibilities.
At times, however, Griffin’s form of entertainment bordered on uncouth. His animated pop culture references, innuendos and freewheeling spirit landed him in hot water.
During a 2023 interview with FanDuel host Kay Adams, Griffin said, “I’m calling the game. It’s Oregon State against Stanford. Early in the game, I’m like, ‘Let’s see how much wood these Beavers can take. I had like six other borderline things that I said in that game. I got a call after that game because it was way too much. It was egregious. It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, you’re going to get fired if you keep doing this.’ But it was like, ‘Hey, you probably shouldn’t keep doing this.'”
Griffin put his foot in his mouth during a 2022 edition of Countdown when, while calling out critics of Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, he inadvertently used an offensive racial slur.
“People said that Jalen Hurts couldn’t get it done,” Griffin said. “He could not break from the pocket. He’s not the quarterback of the future. I think he proved all those j——- wrong.” He later apologized for the comment.
When Griffin wasn’t making a crass comment on-the-air, he was creating suggestive content or sparring with sports figures — including his former Washington Commanders coach Jay Gruden — on social media.
At seemingly the drop of a hat, Griffin’s meteoric rise turned into a striking descent. In 2023, only two years after a sparkling debut, Griffin and broadcast partner Jones were split up. One year later, just days before the start of the 2024 college football season, Griffin (along with ESPN host Sam Ponder) was let go in a move reported as a “cost-cutting measure.”
Fans may never know the exact reason for Griffin’s ESPN exit; perhaps a combination of aforementioned factors contributed. Whatever the reason, Griffin has ostensibly made peace, and his career now appears to be on the upswing. His podcast “Outta Pocket with RGIII” has more than 240,000 YouTube subscribers. He served as studio analyst for the Netflix Christmas NFL doubleheader and is expected to be announced as the #2 college football game analyst on Fox Sports, replacing Brock Huard. A pairing with the excellent Jason Benetti could do wonders for Griffin’s career and bring back the plaudits he received at the beginning of his broadcasting journey.
While his undeniable talent and charisma have earned him a second chance with Fox, Griffin still faces a dilemma — a dilemma many sports media personalities in 2025 are navigating. In this “content rules everything” age, it is tempting — and easy — for former players to view themselves as more than sport-specific analysts. Many of today’s ex-athletes now aim for content creation, eagerly sharing their unvarnished opinions on politics, pop culture and social issues. That style, however, comes with a cost. In today’s divisive media environment, offering bold takes about societal issues can yield disastrous results, as evidenced by Griffin’s recent comments about Jackie Robinson.
At his zenith, Griffin represents the best of sports media — an analyst with a childlike glee and an uncanny ability to explain complex football plays in simple terms. At his nadir, Griffin is his own worst enemy, using inane talk to reach for cheap humor and clicks. This new, high-profile job with Fox affords Griffin the opportunity to redefine his career. If he makes the right moves, Griffin could reclaim his place within the sports media constellation as one of its most refulgent stars.
Plus: Amazon Prime’s promising NBA roster
When Amazon Prime Video acquired Thursday Night Football, it filled its broadcast roster with a healthy blend of familiar and fresh voices. The streamer brought in venerable announcers Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit and Charissa Thompson, while signing neophytes Richard Sherman and Ryan Fitzpatrick, who quickly proved they were ready for television.
Amazon is wisely following that template on the NBA side. According to multiple reports, Stan Van Gundy, Candace Parker, Dwyane Wade and Steve Nash will join Amazon Prime Video’s NBA coverage next season. This quartet joins Ian Eagle and Kevin Harlan, who reportedly will be two of Amazon’s lead play-by-play announcers.
For a league whose commissioner feels the media members “don’t spend enough time talking about why people love this game,” Amazon’s collection of talent is an encouraging and eclectic mix of veterans and rookies. Van Gundy is a lead analyst at TNT and, while he can be acerbic, he is honest and passionate.
Wade brings panache, Hall-of-Fame star power and popularity. While she still flies a bit under the radar, Parker — a future Hall-of-Famer — offers even-handed analysis, and Nash is a basketball savant who should have great chemistry with his former Dallas Mavericks teammate Dirk Nowitzki in the Amazon studio.
The challenge for a new media partner is to find a happy medium. Introduce fans to a new generation of talent while simultaneously leaning on established, reliable veterans. So far, Amazon’s NBA hires have been nothing but net.
