Fox Sports’ Kenny Albert will miss NFL assignments over the league’s quarantine rules. Plus: the NBA continues to pursue a later start for next season; NBC’s Mike Emrick should be on less of a delay from here on; and more.
Albert to miss NFL games over quarantine requirement
The New York Post reported Saturday Fox Sports NFL play-by-play voice Kenny Albert will miss his scheduled Bears-Lions broadcast on Sunday, and could miss next week’s assignment as well, as a result of NFL rules requiring broadcasters to quarantine for two weeks if they have recently been in a foreign country. Albert has spent the last several weeks in Canada calling games in the NHL’s Edmonton “bubble” for NBC.
Per the Post, Albert will be replaced by Dick Stockton on Sunday. [NYP 9.12]
Report: next NBA season to start no sooner than Christmas
The NBA informed its Board of Governors Thursday that it does not plan to begin its next season any sooner than Christmas Day, according to The Athletic. The league has publicly set December 1 as a planned start date for next season.
Per the report, the league does not plan to announce a format for next season until eight weeks before the eventually chosen start date. Previous reports have indicated that the league is mulling multiple possible formats for next season and a start date as late as March.
According to multiple reports, the league is planning to push back its draft from the current date of October 16 to November 18, a move consistent with a later start time for next season. [The Athletic 9.11, AP 9.11]
NBC installs new equipment in Emrick’s home to minimize delays
NBC Sports has installed new equipment in the home of NHL play-by-play voice Mike Emrick to help minimize delays, Newsday reported earlier in the week. Per the report, Emrick will now be linked directly to NBC’s Edmonton production truck, rather than routed through NBC’s Stamford, Conn., studios. Emrick’s calls have been a half-step behind the action throughout the NHL restart.
Emrick gave no indication that he plans to eventually travel to Edmonton for the conference finals or Stanley Cup Final. [Newsday 9.9]
Plus: Desmond, Bayless, Bellator
ESPN announced this week that it has reached a contract extension with college football analyst Desmond Howard, who will continue in his current role on College Gameday. Howard has been with ESPN since 2005. … Fox Sports chided FS1 host Skip Bayless, but took no other action, for what it termed “insensitive comments” about Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. Bayless disparaged Prescott on-air for talking openly about his struggles with depression. … The Bellator mixed martial arts series is moving from Paramount Network to CBS Sports Network starting October 1. Paramount Network and CBSSN are corporate siblings. [ESPN PR 9.10, Fox Sports, CBS Sports]
