Reggie Bush, the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL running back, won’t return to Fox Sports after an apparent contract dispute, as reported by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. His place on the network group’s “Big Noon Kickoff” may be filled by Mark Ingram II, another former Heisman winner.
Marchand said that Bush and Fox agreed to a one-year contract in 2022, but negotiations had broken off this time around. Ingram, in the meantime, may consider staying in the NFL at least for another season, just as he did last year with the New Orleans Saints after previously talking with Fox.
The possible shakeup for “Big Noon Kickoff” goes along with internal movement at FOX and ongoing job cuts in sports television. FS1 is trying to fill a void created by Shannon Sharpe’s impending departure from “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.” As it looks within its roster and could entertain others to sit alongside Skip Bayless, the same channel can thank its lucky stars that Colin Cowherd has no interest in a reunion with ESPN.
As for the industry overall, layoffs have become an unfortunate tradition over much of the past decade, with prominent media companies reducing their staff every two to three years.
ESPN, the biggest player in the game, is starting to look at trimming its on-air staff after its first round of cuts earlier this spring focused on the business side. One of those on-air personalities may already be looking for the exits as Jay Williams, the former Duke basketball star and NBA guard, spoke on Patrick Beverley’s podcast about his future with ESPN and the future of sports media as a whole.
Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns TNT and TBS and manages NBA TV, has already made cuts this year while also hoping to retain its NBA rights package before that contract expires in 2025. NFL Media started its layoffs as well, and at least until August, is home to the biggest potential free agent in sports media.
