After 17 seasons on the airwaves of the network, NBC appears set to move on from former Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy.
Dungy has been an analyst on ‘Football Night in America’ – the pregame and postgame show for the network’s flagship sports program, ‘Sunday Night Football.’
But according to The Athletic, Dungy’s future appears set to be impacted by NBC’s plans to revamp the program.
A final decision has yet to be made, with the report seemingly suggesting the possibility that NBC could reverse course.
Another option on the table could be to give Dungy an ’emeritus’ role within the broadcast – similar to roles the network gave to broadcasters Al Michaels and Bob Costas in the past.
According to The Athletic, a number of NBC’s studio analysts for football saw their contracts expire after Super Bowl LX. It’s not clear which people were specifically impacted.
Tony Dungy could be axed as a studio analyst for NBC’s ‘Football Night in America’
The network is planning to shake up the studio show that Dungy (center) has been on for years
NBC’s plans to alter the show go beyond a roster shakeup. Reports indicate ‘FNIA’ could go on the road entirely with a smaller cast.
Dungy drew the ire of some football fans after New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick didn’t receive enough votes to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Dungy, who was longtime rivals with Belichick, refused to say whether or not he voted for the coach to be included – initially hiding behind the curtain of waiting for the results.
But even during the Super Bowl pre-game show – which was after the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 was revealed – Dungy stayed tight-lipped about whether or not he thinks Belichick should have been included.
That drew a strong response from former Patriots star and fellow NBC voice Rodney Harrison.
‘What I would say, coach, is any list that doesn’t include Bill Belichick at the top is absolutely wrong,’ Harrison said. ‘And a lot of those players that we mentioned, they’re great players.
‘I played with Drew Brees. I played with Adam Vinatieri. But there’s nobody more deserving to be in that Hall of Fame than Coach Belichick. I’ve seen his greatness. I’ve seen him design defenses to stop your offense. You just look at the players that he’s impacted.
‘He’s been unbelievable. When I look throughout the Hall of Fame, and even a guy like Tom Brady, Tom Brady wouldn’t be Tom Brady without Bill Belichick. That’s the disappointing part of it, Coach, and you guys got it wrong.’
