ESPN reporter Shelley Smith will return from cancer treatment for next week’s NFL Draft. In other news, incoming Fox Sports baseball analyst Pete Rose will make more than two dozen appearances per year, and another ESPN executive is exiting the company.
ESPN’s Smith Returns For Draft
- ESPN reporter Shelley Smith will cover next week’s NFL Draft for the network, her first assignment since undergoing cancer treatment in January. Smith is set to report from Marcus Mariota’s draft-watching party in Hawaii, where she will interview the potential top three pick after he is selected. After the draft, she will begin another round of treatment in May. (via SI.com, ESPN Media Zone)
Pete Rose to Make 25 Appearances Per Year on FOX
- New Fox Sports Major League Baseball analyst Pete Rose will make at least 25 appearances per season on various FOX and Fox Sports 1 studio programs, according to The New York Times. Rose is also likely to make regular appearances during the postseason; Fox Sports executive producer John Entz told the Times that “we’d like him to be a big presence in our October coverage.” (The New York Times)
Bratches Latest ESPN Exec to Exit
- ESPN EVP sales and marketing Sean Bratches will retire at the end of the year, ending his 27-year run with the company. Bratches will be the fifth long time ESPN executive to depart the company in the past two years, joining Vince Doria, John Walsh, Al Jaffe, and George Bodenheimer. (ESPN Front Row)
