News

It was the laugh heard around the world. Or at least around NFL Twitter.

Viewers of FX’s “American Sports Story” cracked up themselves during the introduction of Rob Gronkowski to the Ryan Murphy-executive-produced drama. The legendary Patriots and Buccaneers tight end made his debut shortly after the series’ central character Aaron Hernandez (Josh Andrés Rivera) first shows up in the Pats’ locker room. It’s a moment perfectly calibrated to go viral, and it did when shared by NFL writer Dov Kleiman, among others.

“Aaron! ‘Sup, bro? I’m Rob,” Gronkowski, as played by actor Laith Wallschleger, says. “They call me Gronk.”

When Hernandez says, “They call me Aaron,” Gronk replies with a hilariously neutral, “Nice.” Then he launches into: “Hey, you meet coach yet? That dude is fucking scary, bro [while pantomiming some kind of Frankenstein’s monster walk and launching into a maniacal laugh].”

Anyone who’s seen that is obsessed...

In 2013, at the height of his NFL power, New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez shot and killed Odin Lloyd. In 2015, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. And, in 2017, he was discovered hanging in his prison sell and pronounced dead an hour later.

The inaugural season of American Sports Story aims to unravel how an auspicious football career went so far off the rails — but, just as importantly to its producers, how massive enterprises like the NFL and NCAA football and the hundred million-plus viewers they court played a role in the tragedy. “We’re trying to talk about our obsession with this national religion of football, while also telling a story about what happens when a complicated and flawed individual intersects with systems of power,” executive producer Brad Simpson tells The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s a stew of things that make it bigger than just a tabloid true crime story.

When Patrick Schwarzenegger was cast on “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,” he felt more excitement than trepidation. That may be surprising considering Schwarzenegger plays one of the most publicized and divisive figures in modern football, Tim Tebow.

“Any sort of nervousness or fear [I felt] would probably be from my friends who are all football fans and how they’ll critique it,” Schwarzenegger told TheWrap. “I was super excited to get to be part of this, to work with such amazing other actors and showrunners and producers like Ryan Murphy and to play a character like Tebow, whom I’m a huge fan of.”

Tim Tebow and Aaron Hernandez played football together for the University of Florida. According to the New York Post, at one point coach Urban Meyer wanted to kick Hernandez off the team for his marijuana use but Tebow changed his mind. The two developed a friendship of sorts,...

The series premiere for American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez continued with episode 2, “Consequences, With Extreme Prejudice,” and it wasted no time escalating the troubles for the former NFL star. We’re not in Bristol, Connecticut, anymore; this is Gainesville now, and the drastic change hits Aaron like a ton of bricks. How does he handle it? Worse than one may have expected. But before we dive in further, here is your one and only spoiler warning.

Spoiler alert! Please note that there are spoilers ahead if you missed the two-episode premiere of American Sports Story. Go stream both episodes on Hulu before reading along.

After the first episode of Sports Story, I complained a bit about how I wish we had spent more time exploring the toxic relationship between Aaron and his father, Dennis. But only a few minutes into episode 2 did I realize that what I really wanted...

Ryan Murphy is back at it with another installation of his “American Story” franchise. The long-awaited “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” centers on the rise and fall of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez.

It’s been three years since the series was first announced in August 2021, and now with the cast finalized and production wrapped, the project is right around the corner in a living room near you. “West Side Story” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” breakout Josh Rivera stars as Hernandez and here makes his TV debut.

The series lands on FX on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Here’s a list of the cast and the real-life figures they play.

Josh Rivera as Aaron Rodriguez

Josh Rivera stars as late New England Patriots tight-end Aaron Rodriguez. He played for the team for three seasons before he was arrested and convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd.

Aaron Hernandez had the talent to be a Hall of Fame football player — but as we learn in American Sports Story’s premiere, he also lived a violent double life that derailed his promising career.

Tuesday’s premiere begins at a real low point for Aaron (played by Josh Rivera), with him and a friend at a Florida strip club in 2013. Aaron thinks they’re being followed by undercover cops, but his friend thinks he’s just being paranoid. “I know all your secrets,” the friend reminds him, and he’s never said a word. On the drive home, the...

Ryan Murphy, the prolific TV producer behind “American Horror Story” and its many spinoffs, is back with another of his infamous, real-life murder dramas. This storyline follows Aaron Hernandez, the NFL tight end who appeared to be on a straight path to the Hall of Fame when his career was cut short by a murder conviction and a one-way ticket to a maximum-security prison in Massachusetts.

“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” stars Josh Rivera as Hernandez, Patrick Schwarzenegger as Tebow and more celebrities playing the real-life athletes and people involved with the case. The 10-episode miniseries was created by Stuart Zicherman and executive produced by Ryan Murphy. It premieres on FX on Sept. 17.

After playing at the University of Florida with quarterback Tim Tebow and coach Urban Meyer, Hernandez was a fourth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belicheck. With star quarterback Tom Brady and fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski,...

Ryan Murphy’s American Story franchise is about to grow with the premiere of American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez tonight on FX. Needless to say, you are not going to want to miss the big two-episode premiere. But with so much TV, things can get confusing, but we’re here to help!

American Sports Story is FX’s latest anthology series and the fourth in Murphy’s American Story franchise, joining American Horror Story, American Crime Story, and American Horror Stories (plural).

As the title suggests, each season of the series will detail the story or an athlete, with the upcoming first season focusing on the rise and fall of Aaron Hernadez. The former NFL player is portrayed by Josh Andres Rivera. The series also stars Lindsay Mendez as Tanya Singleton, Tony Yazbeck as Urban Meyer, and Jake Cannavale as Chris, among others.

Watch the trailer below American Sports Story...

From humble beginnings to NFL stardom and a shocking fall from grace, Aaron Hernandez’s story is tragic. The FX limited series American Sports Story focuses on Hernandez, a tight end who rose to fame with the New England Patriots before his world came crumbling down following a series of unspeakable crimes.

Produced by megaproducer Ryan Murphy and premiering in September 2022, the 10-episode season recounts Hernandez’s journey from his youth in Connecticut to being drafted by the Patriots at age 22. Along the way, we see him battle inner demons, troubled relationships, and the severe consequences that can stem from unchecked mental health issues left to fester in the high-pressure world of professional sports.

Josh Rivera gives a tour-de-force performance as Hernandez, capturing both his athlete’s charisma and deep well of volatility and turmoil. Through nuanced scenes of Hernandez the beloved player and Hernandez the deeply disturbed man, the...

Plot: The limited series charts the rise and fall of NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez and explores the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide and their legacy in sports and American culture.

Review: The fourth series in Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s American Story franchise, American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez blends a tale focused on a famous athlete with the criminal angle of related series like American Crime Story. The nineteenth volume in the ongoing franchise, Aaron Hernandez is a story that fits right at home alongside Murphy and Falchuk’s subject matter. There are mental illness, murder, celebrity, and queer storylines in abundance, with a new angle that intends to be something of an indictment of the world of college and professional football. However, rather than make a decisive commentary about how the NCAA and NFL have failed to protect players both medically and socially,...

In the debut season of the American Story franchise, FX is releasing the ten-episode series American Sports Story. The story is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. about football star turned killer Aaron Hernandez. The Ryan Murphy-produced series asks, “What made Aaron Hernandez a killer?”

American Sports Story Review American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez

American Sports Story tells the story of Aaron Hernandez, a troubled kid from Bristol, Connecticut, who broke onto the football scene as a star player on Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators. After spending three years playing for the Gators, Hernandez left to enter the NFL draft, where he was drafted in the fourth round by the New England Patriots. Hernandez fell in the draft due to rumors of his off-the-field antics that got him in trouble.

Related The Dynasty: The New England Patriots Review: An Exciting Look Behind the Drama of...

“American Crime Story,” the second installment in Ryan Murphy’s FX franchise after “American Horror Story,” began with a football star. “The People vs. O.J. Simpson” focused on how fame and finances can turn our legal system into a circus, but at its center was the former Buffalo Bills running back. As played by Cuba Gooding Jr., Simpson had an erratic disposition. At times, he could be charming, even comforting, a man who fit the part of a TV personality beloved by his wealthy, white Brentwood neighbors. But under pressure, he was a different guy. He was angry in a way that felt uncontrollable, and when he flew off the handle, Simpson no longer resembled the celebrity who you’d go out to see for a Friday night movie and then invite into your home to talk football every Sunday.

“American Crime Story” wanted viewers to appreciate why so many...

Oh my goodness, I feel like we haven't gotten an exciting week like this in a long time! There's so many new shows to stream this week, Sept. 16 - Sept. 20, 2024. Lots of series' are either debuting, or there's new seasons as well. Some of these include American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez on FX and Hulu, Agatha All Along on Disney+, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story on Netflix, and so much more. Check out the full list below:

My Brilliant Friend season 4 episode 2 - Sept. 16 on MaxAmerican Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez - Sept. 17 on FX and HuluAgatha All Along - Sept. 18 on Disney+The Circle season 7 - Sept. 18 on NetflixThe Penguin - Sept. 19 on HBO and MaxFrasier season 2 - Sept. 19 on Paramount+A Very Royal Scandal - Sept. 19 on Prime VideoMonsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story - Sept. 19 on NetflixThe Old Man season 2 episode 2 - Sept. 19 on...

The first trailer has been released for the inaugural season of FX’s “American Sports Story,” which is inspired by the true story of former NFL player Aaron Hernandez. The 10-episode limited series chronicles many aspects of his controversial life, from his rise as a pro football star to his eventual troubles with the law. Watch the video trailer above, which details “the drugs, the sex, the anger” of Hernandez’s life.

The program will premiere on FX on September 17, 2024 with two episodes, and subsequent hours will air weekly on Tuesday nights. All episodes can be streamed on Hulu the next day.

SEERyan Murphy’s ‘Grotesquerie’ cast includes Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance and … Travis Kelce?!

“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” is the latest edition of Ryan Murphy‘s Emmy-winning anthology franchise, following “American Horror Story” (2011-present), “American Crime Story” (2016–present) and “American Horror Stories” (2021–present). It’s based on...

Ryan Murphy has gone from American Horror to American Crime and now to American Sports. The story of New England Patriots tight end and convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez contains all three.

“American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” dramatizes the tortured journey of Hernandez, an NCAA and NFL star who three seasons into his professional football career was arrested, convicted of murder, and later found dead by suicide in his jail cell in 2017. He was 27.

Josh Rivera stars in the new FX series as Hernandez. The series follows Hernandez from his high school and college days up through his breakout stardom with the Patriots catching, passes from Tom Brady alongside Rob Gronkowski.

The trailer for “American Sports Story” depicts Hernandez as tortured and lost, questioning his thoughts and wondering “What if God made me this way?” It then shows him grappling with the pressures of his family, sex, drugs, and the violence surrounding him.

Being all things to all people is impossible. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to live up to people’s expectations, your efforts find a way of sabotaging your best intentions from the inside out. The pressure to perform regardless of your mental well-being often follows athletes like a relentless ghost. All it takes is one slip-up to send you on a downward spiral. In the case of Aaron Hernandez, the gridiron warrior learns the hard way that football dreams and crime don’t mix. FX’s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez trailer digs deep into the athlete’s downfall for a cautionary tale about expectations, drugs, and throwing it all away.

The first installment of American Sports Story is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. from The Boston Globe and Wondery. The limited series charts the rise and fall of NFL superstar Aaron...

(Stock image via Pixabay, Graphic by The Desk)

Broadcast giant Sinclair is expanding its on-demand audio and podcast division by launching a new series of sports shows over the next few weeks.

The shows include “The Triple Option,” hosted by Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, and Rob Stone, which will debut on podcast platforms on August 21, as well as “Throwbacks” hosted by Matt Leinart and Jerry Ferrara that is scheduled to launch in September.

Sinclair Inc.’s Rob Weisbord (center) at the 2024 TV of Tomorrow Event in San Francisco. (File photo by Matthew Keys for The Desk)

“As Sinclair continues to evolve into a cross-media platform company, we are thrilled to announce the official launch of our new sports podcast division,” Rob Weisbord, the President and Chief Operating Officer of Local Media at Sinclair, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Podcasting is a natural extension of Sinclair’s commitment to...

FX has slotted Tuesday, September 17 for the premiere of Ryan Murphy’s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, the first installment in Murphy’s American Story franchise.

The 10-episode limited series is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. from The Boston Globe and Wondery. It charts the rise and fall of NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez, played by Josh Rivera, and explores the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide and their legacy in sports and American culture.

The series also stars Jaylen Barron (Shayanna Jenkins), Lindsay Mendez (Tanya Singleton), Ean Castellanos (DJ Hernandez), Tammy Blanchard (Terri Hernandez), Tony Yazbeck (Urban Meyer), Patrick Schwarzenegger (Tim Tebow), Thomas Sadoski (Brian Murphy), Jake Cannavale (“Chris”) and Norbert Leo Butz (Bill Belichick).

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez is executive produced by Murphy, Stuart Zicherman, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Scott Robertson and Carl Franklin.

Exclusive: Tony Yazbeck is set for a key recurring role opposite Josh Andrés Rivera, Lindsay Mendez and Patrick Schwarzenegger in Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology American Sports Story, Deadline has learned.

American Sports Story, a new extension of Murphy’s “American Story” franchise, is a scripted anthological limited series focusing on a prominent event involving a sports figure and re-examines it through the prism of today’s world, telling that story from multiple perspective.

The first installment, written by Stu Zicherman, is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc from the Boston Globe and Wondery. It charts the rise and fall of NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez, played by Rivera, and explores the connections of the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide, and their legacy in sports and American culture. Schwarzenegger portrays Hernandez’s friend, former college teammate and fellow former NFL star Tim Tebow.

To borrow a rhetorical device from ESPN’s great sports documentary series 30 for 30: What if I told you there exists the most dramatic college football team of all time?

Said football team was filled with enough off-the-wall stories and colorful characters to make any would-be documentarian salivate. These characters and their stories include: a megalomaniacal head coach who got fired from his first NFL job mid-season for feeling up an undergrad at a steakhouse named after him, a star defensive end who was arrested for a DUI just days before the NCAA Southeastern Conference Championship game, and a tight end who committed literal murder.

That team is real. It was the 2005-2010 University of Florida Gators. Now, what if I told you there is a just-released docuseries about said team … that completely omits all of the dramatic information cited above and more? That docuseries is also real.

Netflix‘s...

After just one week atop Netflix’s English-language TV charts, Depp V. Heard has been bumped to No. 2 in favor of Who is Erin Carter?

Audiences flocked to the thriller limited series, which is about a British expat schoolteacher living in Spain, racking up 13.2M views in its first few days on the streamer from August 21 to 27.

Depp V. Heard still managed a fairly strong week, though, with 8.3M views. That brought Painkiller in at No. 3 on the list with 5.6M views.

Untold: Swamp Kings came in fourth place during its first week on Netflix with 5M views on the series about the Florida Gators’ heyday under coach Urban Meyer. It was joined by another unscripted series, The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move On Season 2. Rounding out the list were My Dad The Bounty Hunter, At Home With The Furys, The Lincoln Lawyer and Gabby’s Dollhouse.

As for the film side of things,...

Sports documentaries are the current rage. Netflix itself has many documentaries in this genre, and two of its flagship shows are considered some of the best. We are talking about The Last Dance and Drive To Survive. These two documentaries set a benchmark for how compelling stories about sports and the people involved should be presented for the world to enjoy and understand.

Untold: Swamp Kings is all about the famous American college football team called The Florida Gators, which at one point was considered the most successful team and bragged about having some insanely talented star players and a highly motivated coach named Urban Meyer. The documentary begins with the Florida Gators football team hiring Urban Meyer. The first episode is about Urban as well as Tim Tebow, who joined the team as a rookie player.

Tim Tebow, who has a brilliant voice, talks about his journey from being...

Netflix’s Untold: Swamp Kings examines the Florida Gators football team’s success under coach Urban Meyer. The four-episode docuseries, which just released a teaser trailer, tells the story of Meyer’s reign via exclusive interviews with those intimately involved in the team.

“The players’ stories are unfiltered, deeply personal, and often full of humor. They describe what it’s like to hear the roar of the crowd, to feel the sweat dripping down their backs, and to know they’re at the center of it all. The joy of beating a rival, the glory of winning a national title,” explained director Katharine English.

English added: “But as well as the adoration of Gator Nation and near-celebrity status, the players also suffer adversity and heartbreak along the journey. What emerges is a human story. It is a story about more than football – it’s a story of brotherhood, relentless effort,...

Gal Gadot as Rachel Stone in ‘Heart of Stone’ (Photo Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022)

Netflix’s August 2023 lineup of movies and TV shows includes the four-part Untold documentary series, season two of Heartstopper, and the release of the second half of The Lincoln Lawyer season two. The Big Nailed It Baking Challenge cooks up (hopefully) tasty treats, and the limited series Painkiller delves into the origin of America’s opioid crisis.

The streaming service’s August schedule also includes the debut of the live-action One Piece series, based Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history. Plus, Gal Gadot stars in Heart of Stone, an action thriller premiering on August 11, 2023.

August 1, 2023

Untold: Volume 3 – (New Untold stories weekly)

The critically acclaimed docuseries Untold returns with Volume 3, a four-week summer event that pulls back the curtain on epic tales from the wide (and wild) world of sports. From boxing to football to doping scandals,...

Jake Paul in Netflix’s ‘Untold volume 3’

Netflix’s four-part documentary series Untold Volume 3 delves into the short-lived career of Johnny Football and also explores the rise of the Florida Gators under Coach Urban Meyer. Controversial YouTuber Jake Paul opens up about his life in an episode of Volume 3, and the Balco Laboratories steroid scandal is examined in-depth.

The docuseries, which has already been renewed for Volume 4, drops a new episode weekly beginning on August 1, 2023.

Volume 3‘s directors include Andrew Renzi, Ryan Duffy, Bryan Storkel, and Katharine English. The documentary series was developed by executive producers Chapman Way and Maclain Way, with Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Isabel San Vargas, Ryan Duffy, Doug Banker, Mike Seander, Louise Norman, and Tom Sheahan also executive producing.

Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child

Premieres August 1, 2023

Directed by Andrew Renzi

At 26, is Jake Paul the boxing world’s new savior or a “delusional” promoter...

It’s one of the most storied and intense rivalries in all of football: Michigan vs. Ohio State. The teams first played each other in 1897, and have played almost annually since 1918. Michigan leads the all-time series 59–51–6. The No. 5 Wolverines snapped No. 2 Ohio State’s eight-game winning streak with a 42-27 win in Ann Arbor last year. Both teams are in the College Football Playoff hunt again this year, and they’ll no doubt have an impact who’s playing for the national championship. Before the teams meet on Saturday, November 26, for the 118th time, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tennis Channel Studios present Rivals, an exploration of the coaches, players, big moments and more that have made the Mu-Osu series legendary. From the “Snow Bowl” in 1950 to the “Ten-Year War” between coaches Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes, the 2006 “Game of the Century” and the recent clashes between Urban Meyer’s...

If you’re a college football fan, you surely don’t want to miss this pregame show. You can catch it on Fox Sports, Fox 2, and Fox Sports 1 (FS1). Although programming schedules may change, new episodes typically air on Saturdays at 12:00 p.m. Et or 9:00 a.m. Pt. It’s also possible to watch the show online while on the go via YouTube TV, the Fox Sports app, and Fox online.

This article talks about where Fox films the pregame show, its premise, and who hosts it. You’ll also find out why it’s a good idea to rely on BuddyTV for information about movies, celebrity tidbits, and TV shows.

What Does Fox “Big Noon Kickoff” Talk About?

Hosted by Rob Stone alongside several panelists, this college football pregame show previews top matches from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12 conferences. You can expect the panel...

On tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey filled in for an absent Colin Jost—trading Weekend Update jokes with Michael Che from the front of the theater, with Tom Hanks, Kenan Thompson, Paul Rudd and the show’s skeleton crew serving as their audience.

Given the fact that it’s almost Christmas, Che thought he should start the segment off with some good news. “O.J. Simpson has been released from parole two months early because of good behavior,” he noted. “Said O.J., ‘I can’t believe I got out of parole early, but I did it. I did it.’ ”

Fey then noted that Time magazine has named Elon Musk its Person of the Year. “You can read more about it on your phone,” she said, “while your Tesla is self-driving you into a lake.”

Che later mentioned that a judge in Louisiana has taken a leave...

Sticking by her man: The wife of one NFL coach is speaking out about his self-professed "stupid" conduct.  In a widely circulated video, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer was seen at a bar in Ohio (reportedly his own Urban Chophouse in Columbus), as a woman appeared to dance and grind against him. The team's owner, Shad Khan, called him out and wrote on social media that "his conduct last weekend was inexcusable." Urban, 57, said at a press conference that he apologized to the team and the staff "for being a distraction," according to NBC Sports. "It was stupid. So I explained everything that happened. And owned it. And, you...

Exclusive: Pultizer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham is working on a sports spin-off of his audio series It Was Said.

Jon Meacham’s podcast studio Shining City Audio and joint venture partner C13 Originals, a division of Audacy’s Cadence13, are launching It Was Said: Sports, narrated by legendary NBA coach Doc Rivers.

It comes after Meacham launched the studio, as revealed by Deadline, in April.

The series will feature some of the most important and inspirational sports speeches throughout history from the likes of Muhammad Ali, Billie Jean King, and Hank Aaron.

Helped by guests including Michael Strahan, Urban Meyer, and Al Michaels, it will feature Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck’s “For America” poem following the 9/11 attacks, Ali’s speech in protest of the Vietnam War on April 28, 1967, King’s Commencement Speech on June 16, 2017 championing women’s rights, Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow’s September 27, 2008 “The Promise” speech,...

Update: The Jacksonville Jaguars have walked back a controversial statement by head coach Urban Meyer, who said that vaccine status was a “decision-maker” in the makeup of his team’s final roster.

Meyer cited the risks associated with unvaccinated players under the NFL’s Covid-19 protocols.

“Everyone was considered,” Meyer said on Tuesday via ESPN. “That was part of the [considerations such as] production, let’s start talking about this, and also is he vaccinated or not? Can I say that that was a decision-maker? It was certainly in consideration.”

The NFL Players Association said it has launched an investigation into Meyer after the remarks.

The Jaguars team issued a statement Wednesday that it claimed “clarified” the Meyer remarks, saying no player was cut based on his status.

“Availability is one of the many factors taken into consideration when making roster decisions. We have vaccinated and unvaccinated players on our roster, and no...

Tom Rinaldi, the ESPN correspondent known for his enterprise features and video essays, has jumped to Fox Sports, a place that has in the past not been known for delivering such things.

He is expected to take up duties for Fox in 2021, “contributing across the network’s world-class portfolio of live events.”

“Tom is one of the all-time great people in this business and a generational storyteller,” said Eric Shanks. Fox Sports’ CEO and executive producer, in a statement. “The biggest events on Fox just got bigger because of Tom, and we are honored to have him as our newest teammate.” Rinaldi’s last ESPN assignment is expected to be the network’s January 1 broadcast of the Rose Bowl game.

While he has served as a sideline reporter for ESPN’s golf coverage and college-football events, Rinaldi is better known for his enterprise features and interview. It is Rinaldi who...

The casts of Fox Sports’ pregame shows, “Fox NFL Sunday” and “Fox NFL Kickoff” will not appear in Fox’s Los Angeles studios today due to concerns regarding Covid-19.

Instead, Chris Myers will host both shows, with analysts Charles Woodson and Reggie Bush also in-studio. Regular “Fox NFL Sunday” cast members Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan and Jay Glazer will call in to the show remotely. “Fox NFL Kickoff” cast members Charissa Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, Mike Vick, Dave Wannstedt and Colin Cowherd will also not be in the studio.

Fox Sports made the announcement via Twitter on Saturday night, writing: “In accordance with CDC guidance, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health safety guidelines – and out of an abundance of caution for our team – Sunday’s ‘Fox NFL Kickoff’ and ‘Fox NFL Sunday’ pregame shows from our Los Angeles studio will not include their regular casts. Filling in as...

The Fox NFL Sunday cast has been removed from its usual studio pregame show today over Covid-19 concerns, Fox Sports announced.

Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw and Michael Strahan were swapped for Chris Myers, Charles Woodson and Reggie Bush. Fox said some of the replaced regular crew “will appear via remote.”

“In accordance with CDC guidance, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health safety guidelines — and out of an abundance of caution for our team — Sunday’s Fox NFL Kickoff and Fox NFL Sunday pregame shows from our Los Angeles studio will not include their regular casts,” Fox said in a statement.

The network did not say what caused the move, or whether anyone had caught the coronavirus.

Earlier in November, the entire on-air crew for Fox Sports’ college football pregame show Big Noon Kickoff was removed in a similar fashion, with Covid-19 concerns cited. The weekly show featured former players Matt Leinart,...

Exclusive: Fox Sports broadcaster Chris Myers is turning his eponymous radio interview show into a podcast after striking an exclusive deal with PodcastOne.

Myers is bringing his Cmi: The Chris Myers Interview show to the network, which is owned by LiveXLive and is responsible for podcasts by the likes of Adam Carolla, Shaquille O’Neal and Steve Austin.

The show was previously broadcast of Fox Sports Radio and ran on more than 250 affiliate stations as well as Sirius/Xm Radio.

The podcast will launch on August 26 former college football star and coach Urban Meyer, followed by interviews with the likes of Reggie Jackson and Troy Aikman.

Myers has covered the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NBA Finals, the NCAA Final Four, The Masters, the U.S. Open, the Triple Crown, the Olympics and the Daytona 500 and via Fox Sports contributes to the network’s coverage of NFL, NASCAR and Mlb.

6:58 Am Pt -- TMZ Sports has obtained the 911 call placed by Smith's wife from the school ... and she says Zach was irate -- "yelling" at the principal until cops arrived. More trouble for former Ohio State coach Zach Smith ... cops say they arrested Urban Meyer's ex-assistant after he got into an altercation with officials at his children's elementary school Thursday. The Delaware County Sheriff's Office confirms to TMZ Sports that Smith showed up...

Terrelle Pryor says it's time for the Buckeyes to bring his old coach, Jim Tressel, back to Columbus -- which is interesting, considering the history. Remember, Tressel left Osu in 2011 after a scandal involving Bucks players getting free tattoos in exchange for their game-worn memorabilia. Pryor was one of the players involved -- he was suspended for 5 games. Tressel subsequently resigned.  It's been nearly 8 years since Tressel left the Bucks ... and Ohio State just lost its national-championship-winning coach,...

Google has released its lists of top trending searches of the year. Demi Lovato and Meghan Markle are the most searched people of 2018, with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Logan Paul, Khloe Kardashian, Eminem, Urban Meyer, Ariana Grande, Rick Ross and Cardi B also making the top 10 list. Lovato also topped the list of most search musicians and bands of the year, followed by Eminem, Grande, Ross, Cardi B, Travis Scott, Childish Gambino, Machine Gun Kelly, Meek Mill and Queen. Logan Paul topped the list of the most searched actors of the year, with Bill Cosby, Sylvester Stallone, Pete Davidson, Michael B. Jordan, Allison Mack, Noah Centineo, Bradley...

Ohio State's No. 1 Qb recruit says Urban Meyer's health issues were "evident" ... and the coach had to step down because, "him going out there was a health risk to his body." Dwan Mathis -- a 4-star recruit from Michigan and Osu's lone 2019 Qb commit -- says he had a few conversations with Meyer ... and it was clear to him the coach's retirement was necessary. "He knew that him going out there was...

Lincoln Riley tried to poach ... so did Arkansas and Notre Dame -- but Ohio State's top recruit (a stud Wr from Texas) says he's sticking with the Buckeyes, despite Urban Meyer's retirement. "If coach [Ryan] Day is going to be leading the team, then I'm going to be there right beside him," Garrett Wilson tells TMZ Sports. It's great news for the Buckeyes -- Wilson is a 5-star recruit who some say is the...

Dan Rather says he wasn't shocked to learn Urban Meyer is retiring ... telling TMZ Sports it's clear to him the Ohio State coach Needs to focus on his health. Urban and the Buckeyes announced Tuesday the coach will hang up his headset after the team's Rose Bowl game next month ... and Rather thinks it's easy to see why. "I had the impression this last season that his health was not as good as he liked it to be.

Clay Helton's days as a USC coach are numbered ... Unless he beats both UCLA and Notre Dame in the next two weeks -- so says Trojan Rodney Peete. The former USC superstar tells TMZ Sports he's a fan of Clay and likes him personally ... but with the way Sc's looked this season -- Peete says the dude is about to get fired. "I think that over time, it's shown that we've kind of fallen off a little bit,...

11:00 Am Pt -- Urban Meyer says Ohio State is looking into legal action following McMurphy's story on Trevon Grimes. Osu also released a statement on Tuesday ... saying "The Ohio State University unequivocally and vehemently disputes the unfounded allegations by Brett McMurphy. Any allegations of racism are outrageous and false." "The university told McMurphy that we have found no evidence to support these allegations." Ex-Ohio State coach Zach Smith is calling B.S. on reports of...

2:55 Pm Pt -- Ohio State has deleted all traces of its "Silence" campaign -- which was supposed to promote this weekend's game against Penn State ... after a Massive backlash. The University campaign featured a football player making a hushing gesture -- with the caption, "Silence the white noise." But, as high-profile people like Ryan Leaf pointed out ... the timing and message are Horrible considering the major scandal the University was just involved in. As we previously reported,...

Ohio State might have lost Urban Meyer for 3 games amid the Zach Smith scandal ... but it ain't losing its top recruit -- 'cause Garrett Wilson tells TMZ Sports he's still all-in with the Buckeyes. Wilson -- a 5-star receiver from Texas whose main Osu recruiter was Smith -- says after all the dust has settled on the drama in Columbus ... he still feels solid with his pledge. "It was hard to hear, you know?" Wilson...

Ex-Ohio State football coach Zach Smith is furious -- claiming allegations he beat his wife are wrong and he's threatening to sue the reporter who broke open the story, Brett McMurphy. "Silence = over," Smith tweeted Wednesday ... the beginning of an angry rant directed at reporters and his ex-wife, Courtney Smith. Smith claims McMurphy's reports about him are not only wrong -- but claims some of the images he's posted or reported on have been photoshopped.

2:19 Pm Pt -- The report also contains text messages from Shelley to Urban Meyer on the night he fired Zach Smith (7/23) ... in which Shelley says she's worried about Zach's "response." "He drinks a lot and I am just not sure how stable he will be. Afraid he will do something dangerous. It's obvious he has anger/rage issues already." It begs the question ... if Shelley and Urban truly believed Zach was such a dangerous person,...

Days after saying she wouldn’t be watching college or pro football this fall for the second year, ESPN has shifted host Michelle Beadle off its low-rated and football-centric Get Up! morning program.

Beadle will instead host a new post-game show following NBA games on the network called NBA After The Buzzer, which will air after the regular Wednesday and Friday doubleheaders on ESPN.

Beadle spoke out on Get Up! about her disdain for football in the wake of Ohio State’s decision to suspend coach Urban Meyer for three games for not reporting a domestic violence incident involving an assistant coach. Beadle said that football has “marginalized women.”

Her last morning show will be Wednesday. Along with the Beadle move, Get Up! is being pared to two hours from its current three. Host Mike Greenberg will continue with the program along with a rotating cast of guest contributors.

Beadle...

ESPN is retooling its morning show, “Get Up!” announcing Friday that Michelle Beadle will depart to focus full-time on hosting the network’s NBA studio shows. Her last “Get Up!” will be Aug. 29.

The news comes a day after Beadle, in criticizing Ohio State’s handling of Urban Meyer, said she doesn’t watch either college or NFL football.

“There’s a reason why this will be the second season I don’t watch NFL and I don’t spend my Saturdays watching college football either,” Beadle said on the Aug. 23 show, per Yahoo Sports. “I believe that the sport of football has set itself up to be in a position where it shows itself in the bigger picture to not really care about women — they don’t really care about people of color, but we won’t get into that for NFL either — but as a woman I feel...

Urban Meyer says he flubbed his news conference following the announcement of his three-game suspension Wednesday ... and is now trying to make up for it by apologizing to Courtney Smith. "Let me say here and now what I should have said on Wednesday," the coach tweeted. "I sincerely apologize to Courtney Smith and her children for what they have gone through." As we previously reported ... Meyer was hit with a three-game ban after university officials...