The latest
We haven’t heard from Tirico on the matter asides from a joke he made during a crossover with Dan Patrick at the Olympics. That is until now. Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Tirico said that him calling Thursday Night Football games never came up during his contract negotiations and he never expected to be calling them despite the initial media reports. He told Sports Illustrated that he knew of the NFL’s requirements with TNF going in to his talks with NBC:
“Everyone made an assumption and I guess that is just a lesson in how dangerous things can be because that was not the case when I signed. It was we are going to figure this out as we go through, and this is now where it has ended up and I am perfectly fine with it.”
NBC Sports Group chairman Mark Lazarus told SI that NBC is making the same commitment CBS is by using their top announcing and production teams on TNF, but did inform the NFL of its hiring of Tirico:
“It is correct is we have a contractual obligation to use our number one team on Thursday night. That is fact. We made that commitment, CBS made that commitment, and that was always our plan and expectation. We signed that deal long before Mike Tirico was ever part of our company. We never had any other plan. Our plan when we discussed Mike coming to our company was that he would be involved in football in a very big way and that was always contemplating the Sunday hosting role for Football Night In America and calling some games, notably the preseason games and ones that have date conflicts with other games we have on. Mike’s flexibility in terms of being a host and game-caller suits who we are extremely well and we will utilize both of those skill sets.
Asked specifically if NBC asked the NFL for any kind of contract addendum so Tirico could call games, Lazarus said, “We told them that we were hiring Mike and they said the expectation is that you are using [Al and Cris]. We said, “Of course. That is our commitment and we will live up to our commitment.”
As it ended up, Tirico will be a host on Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football. He will call two late season NFL games that NBC will produce for NFL Network as well as call three Notre Dame games which conflict with Dan Hicks’ golf schedule.
As for replacing Al Michaels on Sunday Night Football down the road, Tirico would not say what NBC has promised him in the future:
“I am going to keep the negotiating stuff private because I don’t think anyone who has a contract talks about what is in their contract in specifics and if they do that is their business. I choose not to. I will tell you this: They have been very honest and upfront that I will be a big part of what NBC does know and in the future. I trust these guys a lot. My future is not going to be one forgotten about or without a path forward. I believe in those guys and without saying this is specific what we have discussed or negotiated, I feel super comfortable I will end up in good places and doing good things.”
He said he knew NBC has a deep bench starting with Bob Costas and Al Michaels, comparing them to Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio and stated that he felt he made the right call in joining the Peacock:
“I had to make the decision whether there was enough space at NBC to continue to grow my career at this point in my life knowing these guys are both still there and both still terrific at what they do. By these assignments I have now, that shows me there was absolutely enough room and that this was the right move. What it will be in five years, I don’t think any of us know what it will be but I am fine where we are right now.”
So Tirico appears happy. NBC Sports is certainly happy it has Tirico in the fold. As for the TNF story, Tirico and NBC are on the same page and seem to be ready to move forward.
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