Fox announcer has profane response to Tom Brady question

Quarterback Tom Brady. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Fox announcer has profane response to question about Tom Brady ahead of Super Bowl

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 2/6/23

Fox's No. 1 NFL play-by-play broadcaster isn't worrying about a potential booth shakeup as he and lead analyst Greg Olsen prepare to call Super Bowl LVII this Sunday.

"The reality is other than being asked in every media interview that I have done, and I mean this on or off the record, I have not thought about Tom Brady as a broadcaster for 10 f------ seconds," Kevin Burkhardt told John Ourand of Sports Business Journal. "I just felt like it was out of bounds for me to be doing this right now and living in the moment and then texting Tom on the side, like, 'Can’t wait for you to come, buddy.'"

Brady agreed to a 10-year deal reportedly worth $375 million last spring to eventually replace Olsen as Fox's top NFL analyst. The seven-time Super Bowl champion retired "for good" last week but is not expected to jump right into the booth for even a cameo during Sunday's encounter between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. Brady theoretically could work at least a portion of Fox's pregame coverage, but TMZ Sports reported this past Thursday that the 45-year-old doesn't plan on starting his new gig "for several months," and it sounds like it may be more than a year before he starts his Fox career.

Tom Brady told @ColinCowherd on @TheHerd today that he'll take a gap year—and start at FOX in the fall of 2024.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 6, 2023

Well-known Fox sideline reporter Erin Andrews said that employees "have no idea what’s going to happen" regarding the network's announcing situation and, thus, "just want to enjoy this while we can" through Super Bowl LVII.

Meanwhile, Ourand noted that "every person on that top Fox crew" understands the company's plans and wants "to make Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks and executive producer Brad Zager’s decision to switch from Olsen to Brady next season as difficult as possible." Ourand also mentioned that Olsen has become quite popular among his co-workers.

"They talk about a spirit of fellowship and camaraderie — everything from organizing a Secret Santa exchange of gag gifts a couple of weeks before Christmas to arranging a smack-talking tennis match with (director Rich Russo) that drew the attention of the entire crew," Ourand wrote about the former tight end.

Olsen reportedly could leave Fox if he loses his current spot to Brady this spring or summer and locates a No. 1 job with a different company. For now, it sounds as if Olsen is focused only on delivering the call of his life during Super Bowl LVII.

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