ESPN hasn’t explained why they removed Ron Jaworski from the Monday Night Football booth. The New York Daily News speculated that they may be trying to make room for Peyton Manning, who is rehabbing a neck injury and trying to continue his football career. Jaws thinks ESPN may have just wanted to downsize and he became the odd man out.
“What I’m going to tell you is pure speculation, based on what I’ve heard … from the leaders and captains of industry at ESPN. They just feel that a two-man booth was the way to go. Obviously, I’m the odd man out. I’m the 60-year-old guy and Jon’s the young guy that they believe is the future. I’m not going to argue with that,” Jaws told 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia.
Jaws isn’t saying anything bad about his employer because they’re still giving him plenty of broadcasting opportunities and paying him lots of money. Still, I’m not sure if I buy his reasoning. While it’s true many networks utilize a two-man booth for football games, Monday Night Football has been a three-person booth for a good portion of its history. I don’t think they cut out Jaws to simplify, I think there’s something else coming in the next year or so.
