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More than 20 years after leaving ESPN as one of its better-known personalities, Rich Eisen is forming a partnership with the network to return to its airwaves, The Athletic reported Monday.
"The Rich Eisen Show," which airs on Roku, will move to ESPN's direct-to-consumer television product that is expected to launch later this year.
Eisen, 55, was a SportsCenter anchor at ESPN from 1996-2003 before moving to the NFL Network, where he continues to be a contributor. He launched "The Rich Eisen Show" in 2014 as a combination television show/sports talk radio simulcast.
The show previously aired on the Audience Network before moving to the NBC Sports Network, the streaming service Peacock, and then Roku in 2022.
Eisen will continue to own the show and generate all of its content in a deal with ESPN that works much like "The Pat McAfee Show," according to the report. No terms of the deal between Eisen and ESPN were announced. McAfee's deal with ESPN was for five years and more than $85 million, according to The Athletic.
"The Rich Eisen Show" is not expected to air on the flagship ESPN channel or ESPN2 but is expected to be available on ESPN+, as well as the direct-to-consumer entity.
It is not yet known if the program also will air on ESPN Radio. The audio-only portion of the show currently is distributed by Westwood One and also can be heard on SiriusXM.
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North Carolina reportedly considering nuclear option with Bill Belichick, and that's justified
Could "The Hoodie" be leaving Chapel Hill much sooner than expected? After hiring head coach Bill Belichick in December 2024, the North Carolina Tar Heels hoped the six-time Super Bowl champion would propel them into national title contention. Instead, they're 2-3 and 0-1 in ACC play. Following an embarrassing 38-10 home loss to the Clemson Tigers in Week 6, the school is reportedly considering a shocking move. North Carolina is reportedly considering firing Bill Belichick In a story published Tuesday, Andrew Jones of 247Sports reported North Carolina has had "potential exit strategy discussions" regarding Belichick. On Wednesday, Pat Welter of WRAL-TV in Raleigh revealed new information about what's going on behind closed doors, which could give the program more grounds to move on from the former New England Patriots coach. According to Welter, two players got into a fight at practice on Tuesday, and a parent said their son no longer wants to go to the facility because it's too "toxic." If that wasn't enough, The Athletic's Bruce Feldman has reported the school has suspended cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins. The suspension is tied to allegations of extra benefits in a previous report by Welter. No wonder North Carolina wants to get rid of Belichick. Along with the scandals, he has failed to attract elite players. "There's no question that job No. 1 for any coach is attracting top talent to North Carolina, and I think that's where you start if you're the North Carolina administration," Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer said Sunday on "Patriots Pregame Live." "You look at their roster and you say, 'You turned over 70 percent of the roster and that's what we're getting on a week-to-week basis?' ... I think there are lots of fair questions to ask in those departments." North Carolina kicking Belichick to the curb would be justified. He has failed to deliver results on the field. More importantly, he has reportedly created a mess that could leave the program in shambles.
Packers could see breakout star emerge on defense in weeks ahead
The Green Bay Packers’ secondary got lit up by Dak Prescott in a 40-40 tie against the Dallas Cowboys before heading off to the bye week, but help could be on the way. Through the season’s first five weeks, the Packers rank 11th against the pass, but they allowed 319 passing yards and three touchdowns to Prescott in their final game before the bye week. Help, though, could be on the way. Could Nate Hobbs elevate Packers’ secondary? With a showdown against the likes of wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on Sunday afternoon, a breakout star could be about to emerge. Mike Spofford of the Packers’ official website suggests that cornerback Nate Hobbs getting healthier could be a major asset for coordinator Jeff Hafley and Green Bay’s defense moving forward. “Nate Hobbs,” Spofford writes, when asked the player he’s most looking forward to see the rest of the season. “He’s getting further removed from his knee procedure during training camp, and he’s also back on the practice field after leaving the Dallas game to be evaluated for a concussion. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Hobbs yet in this defense.” Hobbs has appeared in three games for the Packers this season, posting 10 total tackles, one pass breakup and one tackle for loss. Given that the 26-year-old had the added time during the bye week to get further away from the injury he suffered during the summer, he could be a player whose best football this season is still in front of him. That would be huge for a defense looking for consistent playmakers to step up.
Bengals' Zac Taylor explains shocking Joe Flacco move for Packers game
Roughly 24 hours after outsiders learned that the Cincinnati Bengals were acquiring veteran quarterback Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor confirmed that Flacco will start over Jake Browning when 2-3 Cincinnati plays at the Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) this coming Sunday. While speaking with media members, Taylor explained that somewhat surprising decision. Why Zac Taylor believes he can get Joe Flacco "up to speed quickly" "He's already spent a lot of time meeting with us, getting up to speed, so I feel really good about where he's at," Taylor said about Flacco, per Dave Clark of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "You just know him. ...Very comfortable with his style, concepts he's good at, things that we do. All of the terminology, there's a carryover, more so than I would have anticipated. So I feel like we can get him up to speed quickly." Flacco lost three of four September starts with the Browns before the Super Bowl XLVII Most Valuable Player was benched in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel. According to Pro Football Reference stats, Flacco began Wednesday ranked last in the NFL among qualified players with a 60.3 passer rating for the ongoing season. Additionally, he's 28th out of 32 signal-callers with a 36.7 adjusted QBR. That said, Flacco is a 40-year-old who has seen every defensive concept an opposing coordinator could and will throw his way. Back on Sept. 21, he helped the Browns earn a 13-10 win over the Packers in downtown Cleveland. Zac Taylor likes that Joe Flacco faced this Packers defense in September "It's different than a young quarterback coming in, trying to learn the system and understand what a defense is trying to do to try to challenge you," Taylor added about his decision to start Flacco versus the Packers. "Not only that, but he's played Green Bay this year, so he's already gone through a week of prep. ...Now the communication and the weekly rhythm is maybe different and unique, but he's already prepared for this opponent. So he gets a chance to refresh himself on that, while at the same time just learning our system and our terminology...and how we operate." Shortly after Taylor made his comments, ESPN BET had the Bengals listed as massive 14.5-point underdogs against Green Bay. Perhaps that line and the fact that he was discarded by Cleveland will give Flacco some extra motivation heading into the showdown that will take place at Lambeau Field.
49ers’ Kyle Shanahan Reveals George Kittle Development Amid NFL Season
Six-time Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle’s 2025 season for the San Francisco 49ers got off to a problematic start. The former Iowa Hawkeyes star, who produced 78 receptions for 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns last season, suffered a hamstring injury in the Niners’ season-opening win against the Seattle Seahawks and has since missed his team’s last four games. After undergoing an MRI on his hamstring, it was determined that it was going to be a multi-week injury for the two-time All-Pro TE. This forced the 49ers to place Kittle on injured reserve, meaning he would miss at least four weeks. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan, however, revealed some good news on the Kittle front on Wednesday. Kittle has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but according to Shanahan, Kittle has a chance to return for San Francisco’s Week 7 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons (h/t Niners reporter David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard). This is a crucial development for Kittle, who appears to be on track to make his comeback after five missed games. For the 49ers, Kittle’s imminent return boosts the team’s passing game as an added target, as well as providing elite in-line blocking against edge rushers. This news also comes at an ideal time for San Francisco as it continues to deal with multiple injuries to its star players. Quarterback Brock Purdy (toe), wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee), WR Jauan Jennings (ankle/rib) and WR Brandon Aiyuk (knee) are all still on the mend, while the Niners recently lost defensive end Nick Bosa to a season-ending ACL tear. Kittle’s return should serve as a psychological boost for the Niners as they try to continue building on their strong 4-1 start to the season.
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