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Bristol, CT – September 22, 2024 – Studio W: Randy Moss on the set of Sunday NFL Countdown. (Photo by Allen Kee / ESPN Images)
ESPN analyst Randy Moss is taking an extended leave of absence due to a health matter. Plus: ESPN did not submit a bid for Women’s World Cup rights; Stephen A. Smith’s new ESPN deal will be non-exclusive outside of sports;
ESPN announced Friday that NFL analyst Randy Moss is taking a leave of absence from the network due to an undisclosed health issue. Moss said on last week’s edition of Sunday NFL Countdown that he was dealing with a health matter, a disclosure that came one week after viewers noticed that he was dealing with discoloration of his eyes. Moss, per an ESPN statement Friday, will be out for an “extended time.”
One of the best-known wide receivers of his era, Moss joined ESPN in 2016 after a previous stint with Fox Sports.
Running contrary to expectations, ESPN did not submit a bid for rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, John Ourand of Puck reported Thursday. ESPN was widely expected to be a contender to challenge incumbent Fox Sports for the rights to the event, which is being sold separately from the men’s edition for the first time. Per Ourand, Fox, NBC and possibly CBS have submitted bids for the event, with Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery joining ESPN on the sidelines.
ESPN last aired the Women’s World Cup in 2011.
ESPN’s looming contract extension with Stephen A. Smith will be nonexclusive outside of sports, Ourand reported Thursday, meaning that the “First Take” pundit will be allowed to pursue opportunities in non-sports programming. Smith has made occasional appearances on cable news programs since his brief departure from ESPN more than a decade ago and made headlines for a recent appearance on Fox cable news network show “Hannity.”
Jon Lewis has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. You can contact him here or on the Sports Media Watch Twitter page.
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