ESPN is the apparent winner of the Rex Ryan lottery. In other news, ESPN’s Lindsay Czarniak is heading back to the airwaves, and Siena head coach Jimmy Patsos is punching his ticket to Turner Sports’ NCAA studio.
Ryan Joining
- Former NFL coach Rex Ryan has reached a multi-year agreement with ESPN to join the Sunday NFL Countdown pregame show, the New York Daily News reported Friday. Other than Peyton Manning, perhaps no figure in the NFL has been as coveted by media outlets as Ryan, who during his coaching career was better known for his press conferences than for on-field results. (NYDN 3.17 via Awful Announcing 3.17)
Czarniak Returning
- ESPN broadcaster Lindsay Czarniak, who has been off the air since November due to maternity leave, will return to the air Saturday as part of ESPN’s Special Olympics coverage. Czarniak, formerly the host of the 6 PM ET SportsCenter, will be joined by ESPN colleague Kevin Neghandi and former ESPN anchor Robin Roberts on coverage of the event. (ESPN)
Coach Guesting
- Siena College men’s basketball coach Jimmy Patsos will serve as an Atlanta-based NCAA Tournament guest analyst on CBS/Turner Sports this weekend. He is the second active coach to serve as a guest analyst thus far, following Auburn coach and former ESPN analyst Bruce Pearl, who was in the Atlanta studio on Thursday and Friday. (CBS/Turner)
