Latest news with #NFLCountdown
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Robert Griffin III lands stunning new job with broadcast rival after ESPN firing
Robert Griffin III has landed a new job with an ESPN rival after the network fired him last August. Griffin and Sam Ponder were both let go in what was described as a cost-cutting decision from ESPN. Now, Griffin is set to return to the air with Fox Sports as a college football game analyst, as reported by The Athletic. According to the report, Griffin is expected to be hired as the company's No. 2 game analyst for college football and team up with play-by-play man Jason Benetti. Griffin has not officially signed the contract - and ESPN does have the right to block the move - though it is reportedly expected to go through. Fox previously considered hiring Griffin to be a part of its college football studio show, 'Big Noon Kickoff', but the move ultimately did not come to fruition and he remained at ESPN. As part of his new job, the former NFL quarterback may occasionally show up on Fox's studio shows, The Athletic said. The outlet previously reported that Griffin and Ponder were each making north of $1million per year at ESPN before they were let go just before the start of the last NFL season. Griffin had worked on 'Monday Night Countdown' while Ponder hosted 'NFL Countdown.' Griffin did appear on the studio show for Netflix's slate of Christmas NFL games last year but he was otherwise mostly off the air after being axed by ESPN. The former Washington, Cleveland and Baltimore passer made headlines recently as he appeared to criticize his ex-employer for an on-air debate about Jackie Robinson. 'Sports shows on TV should be about sports not politics,' he said, in response to an 'Around the Horn' segment about Robinson's Department of Defense webpage briefly being taken down amid the government's DEI purge. Griffin, the second overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, started his NFL career with a bang as he won Offensive Rookie of the Year. However, his career was quickly derailed by injuries and he never reached the same heights before ultimately retiring in 2021.
USA Today
19-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wants to see Bills trade for Myles Garrett
Big names at the defensive end position have been labeled as potential trade candidates this NFL offseason, such as Maxx Crosby, Micah Parsons, Trey Hendrickson, and Myles Garrett. And, Buffalo Bills fans on social media have been clamoring for a trade for a star edge rusher since the season's end. Head coach Sean McDermott agrees with the folks wishing a trade for a star. He hinted at landing a difference-maker this offseason during his end-of-season press conference. 'The AFC is just loaded with really good quarterbacks, really good coaches,' McDermott said. 'So the short answer is they are hard to find, like Brandon (Beane) said. You do need difference-makers. Again, in my experience, you need two or three on each side of the ball that are difference makers like that.' With Garrett's trade request from the Cleveland Browns following the season, Western New Yorkers began to put two and two together quickly, especially after Garrett mentioned that he wanted to be traded to a Super Bowl contender. 'I have a lot of love for Northeast Ohio and the community that brought me into the league,' Garrett said on NFL Countdown on Super Bowl Sunday. 'I wanna get to contending and winning playoff games and having a chance to be in games like today.' It's not just Bills fans who are hoping to see the potential match between Buffalo and Garrett. ESPN national NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler claimed it as the one move he wants to see this offseason, saying 'Buffalo's lack of pass-rush prowess showed in key moments of the playoffs, especially against the Chiefs. Time to rectify that in a big way.' It's been said a million times that the Bills are close to 'getting over the hump', but Garrett is the type of player who could take them where they are trying to go. The Bills have been one of the best teams in the NFL over the past five years but they haven't had the star power, especially on the defensive side of the ball, to make impact plays in the playoffs. Garrett, a 29-year-old veteran with eight seasons under his belt, has most likely entered the back-nine of his playing career. He's ready to win now, and so are the Bills. Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins sees the vision, as well. He has been doing his best to recruit the six-time All-Pro this offseason, nationally stating multiple times his desire to land Garrett. If Garrett is traded, he will come with a hefty price tag, so general manager Brandon Beane will most likely have to perform some cap gymnastics. His current cap hit with Cleveland is just north of $20 million, which is expensive for a non-quarterback, but it's more than reasonable for a player of his caliber. As for which team Garrett will be on to start 2025, the Bills (+550) have the fourth-best odds in the NFL, according to DraftKings. They trail the Washington Commanders (+300), Philadelphia Eagles (+450), and Browns (+500).
USA Today
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick welcome Randy Moss back to work
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and legendary quarterback Tom Brady welcomed Randy Moss back to ESPN's 'Sunday NFL Countdown.' Moss, who is recovering from cancer treatment, stepped away from the job in December. He returned ahead of the biggest game of the year with the Philadelphia Eagles taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. Brady, Belichick and others were part of a video package that was put together for Moss. 'Hey, Randy. Want you to know we're behind you as you continue your fight. Welcome back to TV and 'Countdown,'' said Belichick. Brady then added, 'Welcome back, Randy. I'm sure all the guys on set have missed you, but we've all missed you, as well. You've been a fixture on that show for a long time. You were a fixture on the field. 'For as great as you were on the field at showing everybody the strength and resilience of how you performed over the course of your Hall of Fame career, you've impressed and inspired us more than anything with what you've done off the field. …You're a brother to me. I love you more than anything in this world, and it's so great to have you back.' 'It is so great to have you back.' – Tom Brady Bill Belichick, Kevin Garnett and Justin Jefferson, among others, join Brady in welcoming back Randy Moss — ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 9, 2025 Moss, Brady and Belichick were a lethal trio to opposing NFL defenses when the Patriots went unbeaten in the 2007 regular season. The success from that season has stood the test of time and created a lifelong bond between teammates. Moss is one of the all-time great receivers, but he has taken that success with him to television as one of the most beloved NFL commentators. His return to the 'NFL Countdown' desk is good news for everybody.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Was Princess Diana a Philadelphia Eagles Fan? The Real Story Behind Her Iconic '90s Varsity Jacket
Before the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2025 Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 9, a question has resurfaced among football and royal fans alike: Was Princess Diana an Eagles fan? The late Princess of Wales was frequently photographed wearing a Philadelphia Eagles varsity-style jacket during school runs with her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. The striking green and silver coat became one of her most memorable off-duty fashion statements, but did she have an allegiance to the team? Diana's connection to the Eagles dates back to 1982, when she met Jack Edelstein, a longtime statistician for the team, at the funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco. Grace Kelly, the Hollywood star-turned-princess, was a Philadelphia native and family friend of Edelstein. During their conversation, Diana, unfamiliar with American football, asked about the Eagles' team colors. "I said, 'Green and silver," Edelstein told the Philadelphia Daily News . "She said, 'Those are my favorite colors.' " Edelstein promised to send her some Eagles gear, and he followed through with a package that included hats, shirts, shorts, and the now-iconic jacket. "We also sent her a beautiful Eagles jacket, made for her. It was Leonard Tose's idea. He never went second-class," Edelstein said of the team owner at the time. "She sent me a very nice note, how she'd been wearing them around." Diana, in turn, sent a thank-you note expressing how much she enjoyed wearing the items. Related: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Steal a Kiss in the Stands at Invictus Games Opening Ceremony While the gifted jacket became a staple in Diana's casual wardrobe, those who knew her suggest she wore it more as a style choice than an expression of team loyalty. "She wears these things because they create a look," her biographer Andrew Morton told Daily News writer Barbara Beck in 1991. "She knows very little about English sports, let alone American teams." Diana's sporty-chic aesthetic often included American influences—she was known for wearing sweatshirts from Harvard and Northwestern University (her future daughter-in-law Meghan Markle's alma mater), even though she had no direct connection to those institutions. The Eagles jacket fit seamlessly into her wardrobe of laid-back luxury, offering a cool and effortless image during the early '90s. The jacket's cultural significance only grew after a 1994 photo of Diana wearing it landed on the cover of PEOPLE magazine. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie was so taken by the moment that he had the cover enlarged and displayed in his office at Veterans Stadium. Decades later, images of Diana in the jacket still circulate online, reigniting curiosity about its whereabouts and whether she truly had a soft spot for the Eagles. Ken Wharfe, Diana's former bodyguard, recently weighed in on the discussion in a segment for ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, timed to the Eagles' return to their classic Kelly Green uniforms. "Diana always craved the normalcy. By being a member of the royal family, that was almost impossible. Neither William or Harry, when they were kids, wanted their mother to sort of dress in her finery, take them to school," Wharfe told ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown in 2023. 'So all Diana would do is be as casual as possible.' While there's no evidence that Princess Diana ever watched an Eagles game, her link to the team through Edelstein and her love of the green-and-silver color scheme made the jacket an enduring piece of royal-meets-sports history. Even Eagles announcer Merrill Reese, who has called games since 1977, acknowledges the unique relationship between Diana and the fanbase. "This fan base will be loyal to anybody who buys into their Philadelphia Eagles. So if Diana was somehow an Eagles fan, she would be one of us,' Reese said in 2023. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Though the jacket's current whereabouts remain a mystery, its place in sports and royal fashion history is cemented —and during a Super Bowl featuring the Eagles, it's clear the legacy of Diana's connection to the team lives on. Read the original article on People
The Guardian
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Randy Moss in tears on return to ESPN for Super Bowl after cancer treatment
Hall of famer Randy Moss made an emotional return to ESPN's coverage of the Super Bowl on Sunday, two months after he took leave from his job to undergo cancer treatment. Moss was back on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown before the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. He was greeted with a video that included messages from Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Justin Jefferson, Kevin Garnett and Jerry Rice welcoming him back to ESPN's set. Moss was moved to tears by the video before settling down to preview Sunday's game. 'Guys it's been hard, but I got a lot of love and a lot of people believing in me,' he said. 'I'm happy to be here.' Moss took a leave of absence from ESPN in early December after undergoing surgery for cancer. He said at the time that a cancerous mass was found in his bile duct, between his pancreas and liver. He said he had surgery to put a stent in his liver on Thanksgiving and later had a six-hour procedure to remove the cancer. He also said he would undergo radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Moss has been a fixture on the ESPN show since 2016. Moss, who turns 48 on Thursday, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018 after playing 14 seasons with the Vikings, Raiders Patriots, Titans and 49ers. He ranks second in NFL history with 156 touchdown catches and fourth with 15,292 yards receiving, He set an NFL record with 23 TD receptions in 2007 for the Patriots.
