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Bob Ley Extends Sabbatical From ESPN

“Neither Ley nor ESPN have given a reason for extending his time away.”

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The General has no scheduled return to Bristol. An ESPN spokesperson told The Big Lead that network legend Bob Ley has decided to extend the time he is taking away from work.

“Bob Ley has decided to extend his time away from Outside the Lines,” a statement from the network read. “We look forward to Bob’s return when he will add to his unprecedented list of accomplishments built during his nearly 40 years and counting at ESPN. Outside the Lines will continue with hosts Ryan Smith and Jeremy Schaap.”

Ley has been on the air at ESPN since 1979. He came to Bristol just three days after the network’s launch, making him the longest tenured employee there. He has served as the host of the investigative news series Outside the Lines since its launch in 1990.

Neither Ley nor ESPN have given a reason for extending his time away.

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Pac-12 Football to Air on The CW and FOX Sports

“Oregon State and Washington State football student-athletes deserve this elite stage as they continue competing for the College Football Playoff.”

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Graphic for the Pac-12 home football schedule
Graphic Courtesy: Pac-12 Conference

The Pac-12, which now features only two schools for football, has announced a media rights partnership with The CW Network and FOX Sports. The agreement calls for The CW to air 11 of the 13 home games between Washington State and Oregon State. FOX or FS1 will air the other two.

The CW is set to release all of the game times later today and FOX will do so later this month, meaning home games will all have start times set prior to the start of the season. The league also announced Pac-12 Enterprises will produce the 11 games for The CW.

“We are thrilled to announce these national partnerships with The CW and FOX,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould. “Oregon State and Washington State football student-athletes deserve this elite stage as they continue competing for the College Football Playoff, and Beaver and Cougar fans have a great opportunity to enjoy their teams’ successes.” 

President of The CW Network Dennis Miller added: “Adding the Pac-12 Conference to The CW’s growing roster of live sports gives the network coast-to-coast coverage in key markets and solidifies our position as a national player in college sports. The CW will truly be a destination for all sports fans this fall with impressive weekend lineups consisting of Pac-12 football, ACC football, LIV Golf and NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff races.” 

With the addition of the football games, The CW will have over 500 hours of sports programming in 2025.

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NBC Adds Jimmie Johnson as Racing Analyst for Four Races in 2024

“Any time you can add one of the greatest drivers of all time and an icon of the sport, you jump at the opportunity,”

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Logos for NBC Sports and NASCAR and a photo of Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson Photo Courtesy: NBC

In 2024, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson will be joining NBC Sports as a part of their motorsports coverage for four races. He will be involved in both pre-race and race coverage of the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, which will air on both NBC and Peacock. This addition further enhances NBC Sports’ already comprehensive presentation of this historic event. Johnson had previously contributed to the studio coverage of the event back in 2021.

Johnson will also provide analysis for NBC Sports during their coverage of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona Superspeedway on August 24th and the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 6th, which are two of the three playoff races in the Round of 12. Additionally, Johnson will provide insights for select NASCAR events in which he is racing this year, including the highly-anticipated NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 10th.

“To have the opportunity to experience ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ once again is such an honor,” said Johnson in a release. “I was part of the NBC broadcast team in 2021 and it just fueled the fire I needed to make my childhood dream of racing in the Indianapolis 500 one day a reality. Competing in this race as a driver was a chance of a lifetime, so to be able to experience the pageantry again is just so special. Even though I’ve never been able to do the ‘double’ as a driver, May 26th is going to be a very busy day. After the broadcast, I’ll fly to Charlotte Motor Speedway and drive in the Coca-Cola 600. I’m so thankful to NBC for the opportunity and continued partnership.”

“Any time you can add one of the greatest drivers of all time and an icon of the sport, you jump at the opportunity,” said Sam Flood, lead producer for NBC Sports’ motorsports coverage. “We are thrilled to be working with Jimmie and adding his unique perspective on every race he covers, as well as having him become the first person ever to do the ‘double’ – history awaits.”

Peacock will again be the home of Indy 500 practice and qualifying providing more than 50 hours of coverage. The NBC broadcast network will air three hours of Indy 500 qualifying coverage on Sunday, May 19, at 3 p.m. ET to determine the starting grid for the race. Peacock will simulstream all qualifying coverage on NBC.

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Five Marquee NFL Games Released; Jets and 49ers Get Week 1 Monday Night Football on ESPN

Sunday of Week 1 will see the Dallas Cowboys travel to take on the Cleveland Browns. This game will be carried by FOX and will feature the debut of Tom Brady as an analyst alongside Kevin Burkhardt.

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NFL

With the official release of the NFL schedule set for Wednesday May 15 at 8 p.m. ET news is starting to leak out on some of the marquee early season matchups. ESPN announced their first Monday Night Football game, which will feature Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets traveling to San Francisco to take on the defending NFC Champion 49ers.

Other games which have been announced include a week one AFC Championship rematch between the Ravens and the Chiefs, which will be carried on Thursday night by NBC. The next day, on Friday, the Eagles and Packers will battle in Sao Paulo, Brazil in a game which will be exclusively streamed by Peacock.

Sunday of Week 1 will see the Dallas Cowboys travel to take on the Cleveland Browns. This game will be carried by FOX and will feature the debut of Tom Brady as an analyst alongside Kevin Burkhardt.

One other game has been announced, which is a Week 2 game that will feature Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals traveling to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the 2-time defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs. That game will be carried by CBS.

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