Matt Ryan has reportedly discussed a front office role with the Atlanta Falcons; a new report on the lawsuit involving Fox Corp. and Mark Sanchez; and USC’s head coach calls out Notre Dame. Plus news on Kyle Long, ESPN, Greg Papa and Julie Stewart-Binks.
Ryan has reportedly discussed front office role with Falcons
CBS Sports broadcaster and former NFL QB Matt Ryan has “had conversations” with the Atlanta Falcons about returning to the franchise in a “significant” front office role, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports. Glazer reported that people close to Ryan are saying that he is “seriously considering this move,” although the extent of the position remains unknown.
Ryan, who retired from the NFL in April 2024, has built a career in sports media over the ensuing two football seasons. The 15-year league veteran is currently serving as an analyst on “The NFL Today,” and he has also been a color commentator on the first two Netflix Christmas Day NFL presentations. Ryan is also a studio analyst on “The NFL Today+,” the new digital pregame show that debuted earlier this year.
Should Ryan secure a role with the Falcons and depart CBS, it would mark a third consecutive season of change on “The NFL Today” after years of stability. Ryan joined the cast with former NFL DE J.J. Watt upon the departures of both Boomer Esiason and Phil Simms after Super Bowl LVIII.
The change took place within the first year of David Berson serving as president/CEO of CBS Sports following the retirement of longtime chairman Sean McManus. Watt has since started providing game commentary with Ian Eagle and Evan Washburn, assimilating into the No. 2 booth as Charles Davis prepares to move to CBS’ lead college football broadcast team in the fall.
Fox Corp. looking to move Sanchez lawsuit to federal court
Fox Corporation is looking to move the lawsuit involving former analyst and NFL QB Mark Sanchez to federal court, according to a report by Tim Spears of WISH-TV. In a legal filing last week, Delaware-based Fox Corp., which conducts its principal business in New York, reportedly noted that it is an out-of-state defendant in addition to Sanchez, who is a California resident. The company also claimed that Huse Culinary, the parent company of St. Elmo Steak House, was “‘fraudulently joined’ to the lawsuit with the sole intention of preventing the case from moving to federal court,” per Spears.
The development occurs two months after delivery truck driver Perry Tole filed a lawsuit against Sanchez and Fox Corp. following what Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said was a dispute over a parking place. Sanchez, who was slated to call a game between the Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders, was initially arrested for “battery, unlawful entry to a motor vehicle, and public intoxication.” Two days later, Sanchez was charged with felony battery involving serious bodily injury, something that “carries a sentencing guideline of one to six years in prison and may also result in a fine of up to $10,000,” per James Boyd and Matt Moret of The Athletic.
Spears reported that Fox is looking to remove Huse Culinary “as a defendant so the case can be tried federally.” The media conglomerate is also reportedly disputing “any facts that would make Sanchez’s alleged battery foreseeable to Huse Culinary.” Noe Padilla of the Indianapolis Star added that Fox Corp. lawyers pointed out that three of the four parties in the case “all reside in different states and the estimated damages to Tole may exceed $75,000.”
A Fox Sports spokesperson confirmed to Sports Media Watch last month that Sanchez is no longer with the network. Sanchez had been working with play-by-play announcer Adam Amin and sideline reporter Kristina Pink for the NFL season. Former NFL QB Drew Brees has been on the broadcast team since Week 11, most recently calling the AFC East matchup between the New England Patriots and New York Jets on Sunday afternoon.
USC’s Riley calls out Notre Dame amid rivalry game hiatus
Making his first public comments since the annual USC-Notre Dame rivalry game was put on hiatus, USC head coach Lincoln Riley said that Notre Dame had been “very vocal” about willing to play his team “anytime, anywhere,” but nonetheless rejected a proposal by USC athletic director Jen Cohen that would have extended the rivalry game an additional two years.
Riley: “Not only was it rejected, but five minutes after we got the call, it was announced they scheduled another opponent, which I’ll give them credit, that might be the fastest scheduling act in college football history.” He later added that USC is “hopeful something can be worked out in the future” and “would love for the game to continue.”
Riley’s invocation of “anytime, anywhere” would seem to back up reporting that USC offered Notre Dame an “ultimatum” — in the words of Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times — of a “week zero” meeting or nothing.
At issue is the memorandum of understanding between Notre Dame and the College Football Playoff that will guarantee the team a CFP berth should it be ranked in the top 12, per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. If the rule would have been in place this year, Notre Dame would have finished ahead of Miami and qualified for the College Football Playoff. Kartje reported that USC would have comprised to continue the rivalry game until it discovered Notre Dame’s deal with the CFP, and Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports cited a USC source who claimed that new information regarding the memorandum of understanding and the “CFP selection process overall [were] key reasons it didn’t want to play Notre Dame late in the season.”
Plus: Kyle Long, ESPN, Greg Papa, Julie Stewart-Binks
- Former NFL OL Kyle Long is making his season debut in the broadcast booth for CBS Sports for the Week 18 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders, working alongside Chris Lewis and Tiffany Blackmon. Long, who has worked for CBS over the last four years as a studio analyst on “The NFL Today+” and “That Other Pregame Show,” will be calling an NFL game for the first time in his career.
- ESPN coverage of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic will implement two simultaneous alternate broadcasts both from the field, marking the first time the network has taken such an approach during the expanded College Football Playoff. While the main telecast for the game between No. 10 Miami and No. 2 Ohio State will air on ESPN, two studio programs in “The Pat McAfee Show” and “ACC Huddle” will partake in “Field Pass” presentations live on ESPN2 and ACC Network, respectively.
- San Francisco 49ers radio play-by-play announcer Greg Papa did not call Sunday night’s prime time matchup against the Chicago Bears, delaying his return to the booth and opting to rest following a battle with cancer. Papa, who also hosts a sports talk program on KNBR, recently announced that his cancer was in remission and that he was waiting for clearance to receive a bone marrow transplant.
- Julie Stewart-Binks is returning to NHL rinkside reporting, contributing to Tampa Bay Lightning broadcasts for the remainder of the regular season, she announced on Sunday. Stewart-Binks is filling in for Gabby Shirley, who is going on maternity leave, marking her first time in the position since broadcasting for the Anaheim Ducks eight years ago.
