The fact that a black man has never been an analyst is more ridiculous than the money TV networks are throwing at guys to be analysts.
This is a sport.
For a league that is close to 70 percent Black, the NFL just hasn't provided equal opportunity to all.
The executives at these TV networks are just as guilty of hiring as the league is. You have to believe that the league quietly co-signs the hiring of any marquee analysts who will sit in that No. 2 chair on national TV every week and broadcast in front of millions watching at home.
Troy Aikman has been on Fox for 20 years.
That changed with the news that he was going to be the lead analyst for Monday Night Football for five years.
It will be interesting to see who Fox picks to replace Aikman. Michael Strahhan's name has been thrown around. He co-hosted Good Morning America and does pre- and postgame coverage for Fox.
The booth is completely whitewashed and Strahan would add color to it.
Think about it. NBC has had a main analyst for 13 years. John Madden had the job for a million years. Madden was at Fox before he was at CBS.
There has been no formal announcement yet, but it appears that former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will take over the chair next season.
Three of the four major TV outlets for the NFL have white TV analysts in place. A question mark is Fox. It doesn't add up.
This is the worst news of all. Amazon is taking over the broadcast of Thursday Night Football. A new broadcast team is being hired. The pick to fill that spot was reported. Wait for it. Another white guy. According to the New York Post, KirkHerbstreit has agreed to a four-year deal. We understand. He has done a good job as the lead analysts for college football. The former Ohio State quarterback did not have a cup of coffee or a sweet roll in the NFL. He didn't play in the league. His hiring is suspect.
He has an opportunity and a pot of gold to take.
O.J. Simpson was the only guy on the show. In 1983 and 1984 he was the main analyst. The network added Joe Namath by 1985. Simpson was canned after three years.
Booger McFarland and Louis Riddick were analysts in the last few years when MNF was down.
The three were not getting Aikman-like loot.
The league has been playing pool. It was almost impossible for a black man to play quarterback. The number of Black coaches in the league is low. Black candidates were often forced to be interviewed by owners. The Rooney Rule was entered. Black people have been hired in the front office.
It seems that a prime time analyst spot is out of reach.
Aikman is with us. He was the quarterback of a dynasty when the Cowboys won three out of four Super Bowls. He was not the only one playing. Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin were on those teams.
He is great on TV. He has a personality that is level out at a 10. You could make the argument that Aikman would have been a better choice for that job.
There are a lot of former Black NFL players on TV, but not many of them are making any money.
They can do tier-two and tier-three games for regional coverage, and they can also do studio shows for the NFL Network.
We haven't seen anyone land a sweet gig like Tony Romo did. He won the lottery, even though he never won anything as a quarterback in Dallas. He makes $18 million a season to do games on CBS.
Absurd.
There is a lack of former Black NFL players doing that job in a prime time slot.
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