PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio notes a pair of videos posted to Twitter over the weekend showed ESPN NFL analyst Rex Ryan and his brother Rob "in a scuffle at a Nashville establishment." The video at first shows Rex Ryan "engaged in some sort of physical altercation with another man" before Rob "intervenes with a left hand to the throat of the non-Ryan combatant." A second video "begins with Rex breaking away from the guy, who exits the scene, which appears to end the altercation." The videos "don’t seem to be nearly enough to jeopardize" Ryan's employment with ESPN at this time (
PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 6/5).
RIGHT SAID FRED: In Baltimore, Callie Caplan notes Orioles radio announcer Fred Manfra's call yesterday against the Red Sox "was his last, leaving the veteran radio personality with nostalgia for his accomplished career." Manfra is "stepping down from full-time broadcasting duties because of health problems." He had teamed with Joe Angel to "form one of the longest-tenured broadcasting duos." MASN broadcaster Jim Hunter will "play a large role in filling Manfra’s spot." Manfra had "trouble maintaining the team’s grueling schedule after two hip replacement surgeries" in '14 and a back surgery (Baltimore SUN, 6/5).
CB4 PLAY? SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote Turner Sports "should push very hard" to hire Chris Bosh as an NBA analyst. Bosh has "always said he wants to remain in basketball following his playing days and at 33, he would be a fixture with the network for decades." He also has the "type of personality that could easily move into a studio setting following the end of the Charles Barkley-Kenny Smith era." Turner has had "ongoing conversations with Bosh over the years about his interest in broadcasting but nothing definitive fulltime given he was playing." He was part of TNT’s "Players Only" effort earlier this year and "did solid work" (SI.com, 6/4).
HEAD MASTER: In Orlando, David Whitley wrote "congratulations" to ESPN for keeping college football analyst Lee Corso. Given the "College GameDay" mainstay's age and the "fact ESPN axed a lot of top-notch talent, it was easy to speculate that some corporate goofball might try to jettison Corso." After having a stroke eight years ago, Corso "feverishly rehabilitated." Whitley: "As dopey as ESPN can be, it deserves credit for sticking with Mr. Mascot Head" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 6/4).
