When Fox Sports NFL analyst Mark Sanchez found himself hospitalized in critical condition after seemingly instigating a violent altercation with a truck driver in Indianapolis in the early hours of Saturday morning, it became apparent very quickly that Fox would need to find another announcer to call the Las Vegas Raiders-Indianapolis Colts game on Sunday afternoon.
In a bind, Fox turned to Brady Quinn.
Quinn has been a staple of the network’s college football coverage for quite some time, serving as a panelist on the Big Noon Kickoff pregame show. It’s fair to say, the last thing on Quinn’s mind as he sat down in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the site of Big Noon last weekend, was that he’d be calling an NFL game just over 24 hours later. But that’s exactly what happened. Five minutes before Quinn went on the air Saturday morning, his Fox bosses called to inform him he’d need to make his way to Indianapolis to call Raiders-Colts the next day, according to an interview the former Notre Dame quarterback gave to Sports Illustrated.
“It’s been a whirlwind to say the least—not much sleep and mixed emotions,” Quinn said via text message. “Obviously concerned for Mark’s health and the well-being of all those involved, but at the same time excited for the opportunity to call a game. However, it’s not ideal. I pride myself on preparation, and there’s not enough time to prepare in the manner I am accustomed to. I’m very appreciative of all the folks behind the scenes at Fox and coaches on both teams who went out of their way to help.”
Quinn left Ann Arbor Saturday afternoon en route to his home in Columbus, Ohio. There, he’d pick up his suit and grind tape until late Saturday night before waking up for an early-morning drive to Indianapolis on Sunday. Quinn used the car service Jeevz to hire someone to drive his van so he could take Zoom calls all the way to Lucas Oil Stadium.
As if those circumstances weren’t trying enough for someone calling an NFL game on 26 hours’ notice, Brady Quinn was dealt another curveball. He and his play-by-play partner Chris Myers were without a sideline reporter. “So it was just Chris and me talking ball for three hours, which I love,” he said. “Hopefully, the fan bases enjoyed the call. You can never make everyone happy, especially in lopsided outcomes, but given the circumstances, I thought everyone did very well.”
Fox has yet to announce who will replace Sanchez on a go-forward basis, or if his absence will result in the shuffling of other broadcast crews.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.