ESPN’s Tom Jackson will miss NFL Primetime with an Achilles injury. Also: Stan Van Gundy has officially joined Turner, and Sports Illustrated is expected to make massive layoffs.
ESPN’s Jackson to miss Primetime due to Achilles injury
ESPN+ NFL Primetime analyst Tom Jackson will miss Sunday’s show after suffering an Achilles injury, the company announced Wednesday. He will be replaced by Ryan Clark. Jackson, who retired from ESPN in 2016, is just three weeks into his return to NFL Primetime.
ESPN relaunched the Sunday edition of the show on ESPN+ last month, with Jackson and Chris Berman reprising their roles. [ESPN PR/Twitter 10.2]
Stan Van Gundy officially joins Turner
Turner Sports announced Wednesday that it has officially hired Stan Van Gundy as an NBA analyst. The New York Post first reported the move in June. Van Gundy, who spent last season working as a studio analyst for ESPN, will occupy the same role on NBA TV and also serve as a game analyst for TNT’s Tuesday night doubleheaders.
Van Gundy will be part of a distinct Tuesday night lineup on TNT, which will also include play-by-play voices Ian Eagle and Brian Anderson and analyst Jim Jackson. The Tuesday night games will also have a distinct studio team that includes Candace Parker. [Turner Sports]
Layoffs expected at SI
Up to 40 employees at Sports Illustrated are expected to be laid off, possibly as soon as today, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. SI is now owned by Authentic Brands Group, but its print and digital operations are run by The Maven, a publishing startup that owns SI’s licensing rights through 2029.
The news comes on the heels of the departure of longtime SI editor-in-chief Chris Stone, who had been with the company for 27 years. [WSJ 10.2 via The Big Lead 10.3]
