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People & Personalities: Craig James Sues Fox Sports For Religious Discrimination In Firing

In Dallas, Robert Wilonsky reports football analyst Craig James has "sued former employer Fox Sports, saying it was religious discrimination that led to his firing two years ago" from FS Southwest. The lawsuit asserts that opinions James "voiced about gay marriage during his campaign for U.S. Senate should have no bearing on his role as a football analyst." The comments in question came during a '12 U.S. Senate debate. James in '13 was "hired at Fox Sports Southwest and worked the opening Saturday in the Irving studio" before being "let go the following day." Fox Networks Group Senior VP/Communications Scott Grogin in a statement said, "The decision not to use him in our college football coverage was based on the perception that he abused a previous on-air position to further a personal agenda. ... The allegations are baseless, and we will vigorously defend ourselves against them" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/4).

PIE IN THE BIG SKY: In Montana, A.J. Mazzolini in a front-page piece reports ESPN's Brent Musburger and Jesse Palmer will serve as "game commentators when the college football season opens" on Aug. 29 with North Dakota State-Montana. The game will "air on ESPN and mark the start of the football season as part of the network's second annual 'FCS Kickoff.'" Montana AD Kent Haslam said Musburger, who lives in Billings, Mont., called coach Bob Stitt directly to tell him. Haslam: "Bob was breaking news and I did not even know it was coming." He added, "(Musburger) is associated with big college football games and on Aug. 29 this is the biggest and the only one in America. It seems appropriate that he'll be calling the game with his partner" (THE MISSOULIAN, 8/4).

GETTING THE GANG BACK TOGETHER: In Houston, David Barron reported Spencer Tillman has "agreed to call college football games this fall for Fox Sports, where he will be teamed up once more with his former CBS Sports on-air partner Tim Brando." Tillman "did studio work for CBS for 16 years, primarily focusing" on the SEC. He "spent all but one year during that period working alongside Brando, who left CBS" prior to the '14 season to "call games on the Fox networks" (CHRON.com, 8/1).

MORE TIME FOR TIM: SI.com's Richard Deitsch reported EPL club Everton G Tim Howard will "increase his workload" as an analyst for NBC Sports Group as part of its third season of airing the EPL. NBC Sports Group Soccer Coordinating Producer Pierre Moossa said that Howard will "call more games for NBC this season given Everton’s scheduling flexibility this year (The club did not qualify for the Europa League.)" Moossa: "He felt if he did one match and then had two months off it was hard for him to get back in the groove. So we are aiming to do once a month working around his Everton responsibilities and comfort level." Meanwhile, Gary Lineker "will not be part of NBC's coverage" this year. Instead, he will "focus strictly on his work for BT and the BBC" (SI.com, 8/2).

NOTES: The Bills yesterday announced that Rob Stone will serve as the play-by-play announcer for the Aug. 14 preseason game against the Panthers, while Andrew Catalon will call the team's third and fourth preseason games -- Aug. 29 against the Steelers and Sept. 3 against the Lions. Steve Tasker will continue to serve as the color analyst (Bills)....NESN yesterday announced that former FS Sports West reporter Lisa Hillary will join the net as an anchor/reporter for NESN's sports news programs. She will join Adam Pellerin to form the net's lead anchor team for "NESN Sports Today." Hillary will begin working on-air at the end of the month (NESN)....Red Sox radio play-by-play broadcaster Joe Castiglione will "be inducted" into the Massachusetts Broadcasters HOF on Sept. 25. He "became the radio voice" of the team in ’83 (Quincy PATRIOT LEDGER, 8/4)....The Georgia Association of Broadcasters this weekend named Hawks radio play-by-play man Steve Holman the winner of the “Gabby Award for Best Sports Play-by-Play announcer” (AJC.com, 8/3).

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