Urban Meyer and the rest of FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” crew were not on the air last week due to an unspecified issue related to COVID-19, and now we know what that issue was.
Meyer, Rob Stone, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn were taken off the air due to what FOX called an “abundance of caution.” In an interview with WBNS in Columbus this week, Meyer revealed that the decision was made by FOX after he tested positive for COVID-19. The former Ohio State coach said his daughter also had the virus, but did not specify which one.
Meyer said he did not experience many symptoms.
“I just recently got over it … I was relatively symptom-free,” he said, via Andrew Holleran of The Spun. “I tested positive and that’s why we didn’t do the Big Noon Kickoff last week. The good thing is none of my partners, teammates had it, and we’re going to be back at it this weekend.”
Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Charissa Thompson and Emmanuel Acho filled in for Meyer and company last week. It sounds like the normal crew will be returning for Saturday.
FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” was launched to compete with ESPN’s “College GameDay,” and the program has enjoyed success. Meyer and his analysis and zingers at rival networks are a big part of that.
