ESPN politely steers Berman toward door
It looks like longtime broadcaster Chris Berman is going back, back, back, back … and gone.
ESPN released a statement Thursday announcing Berman’s move to a new role following the end of the current NFL season. That followed a somewhat awkward seven months after initial reports said ESPN would be reducing, if not ending, Berman’s role with the network.
Berman no longer will lead ESPN’s NFL studio coverage, he also will not host the NFL draft show or the MLB Home Run Derby during the AllStar festivities. Instead, he will be shifted to “serve in public-facing roles on behalf of the company,” according to the release. All of which is ESPN’s nice way of saying it is phasing out one of its most recognizable broadcasters.
Berman’s legacy is assured, but after 38 years at ESPN, including 31 as host of “Sunday NFL Countdown,” those in the industry and watching at home could sense the 61year-old’s time had come.
To many, the “Swami” shtick and “The Two-Minute Drill” had grown tiresome, and for some, his “Fastest three minutes in television” couldn’t end quickly enough.
After months of mostly silence following the initial reports of his ouster from Bris- tol’s pedestals, Berman sounds content to stick around the company in a limited capacity.
“I’ve been lucky enough to spend almost two-thirds of my life at ESPN, and I am honored to have lent a small hand in laying the cornerstone for what has truly become a beacon in sports,” Berman said in the release. “I’m thrilled that this ride will continue, albeit differently. Today’s announcement allows me to fulfill perhaps my final professional goal — knowing that I will finish with the team I came in with.”
It certainly sounds like one of the final steps in Berman rumbling, bumbling and stumbling his way into retirement.
There is no word yet on who Berman’s successor will be, though Suzy Kolber is a rumored possibility.