In this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, John Ourand reports former NFL coach Rex Ryan has signed a deal with ESPN to appear on "Sunday NFL Countdown" from 11:00am-2:00pm ET on Super Bowl Sunday. ESPN said that the deal "only covers Super Bowl Sunday, but it clearly makes ESPN a front-runner to sign Ryan to a longer deal if he’s unable to find a coaching job" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/30 issue). Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. also will appear on "Sunday NFL Countdown," and in N.Y., Pat Leonard writes ESPN is "doing fans a favor by having the magnetic Beckham on set." However, the net owes it to viewers to ask "some tough questions," including about an alleged wall-punching incident last month at Lambeau Field. Beckham could also respond to Giants Senior VP & GM Jerry Reese's comments that he "needs to 'grow up'" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/1).
TALLY IT UP: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Joe Flint reported Fox in the lead-up to the game will carry roughly 7 1/2 hours of Super Bowl-related programming, "almost twice as long as the game itself will last." FS1 and ESPN also are "milking the Super Bowl for all it’s worth" in the days before the game. Both nets have "set up shop in Houston for the week, as have numerous sports radio shows from around the country." FS1 will "tally up 51 hours of live coverage from Houston by Sunday evening," while ESPN "plans on roughly 50 hours of live programming." Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network are also "airing shows from Houston this Friday" (WSJ.com, 1/31).
SWITCHING LOCATIONS: In Houston, Mihir Zaveri reports the site of the future Midtown Park in the city was "being touted" as ESPN's HQ for Super Bowl LI. But work on the park is "still not finished -- and ESPN is about to begin broadcasting from a spot across town and closer to Toyota Center and Discovery Green." Officials building the park said that it "will be prepared, at least in some fashion, for a weekend 'Super Block Party' that will feature entertainment, food, art and a chance to meet football players" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 2/1).
PULLING NO PUNCHES: PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Michael David Smith reported the NFL has "pulled Super Bowl week credentials from Barstool Sports employees, forcing them to cancel scheduled appearances on Radio Row." The reason for the NFL's move relates to four Barstool Sports employees who "once organized a sit-in" at league HQ in N.Y. to protest NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s handling of Deflategate. When they "refused to leave, they were arrested." The league said that it "doesn’t credential people who have been involved in such antics" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 1/31).
