Disney Reportedly Nixes ESPN's Attempt To Bring Back Ron Jaworski As NFL Analyst

Ron Jaworski was laid off by ESPN in April, but as football season approached, ESPN "sought to bring back Jaws for the film-study-heavy 'NFL Matchup' show, but was told by their parent company Disney that they could not undo his layoff," according to a source cited by Ryan Glasspiegel of THE BIG LEAD. In June, Jaworski "described himself as being 'in limbo,' saying that he 'still may continue to work at ESPN,' and that his contract goes until May 31, 2022." This circumstance "should not be interpreted as a case of Disney making a decision that they don’t want Jaws on television, but rather one where ESPN had to cut X amount of costs, there was a subsequent tax accounting decision, and Disney enforced austerity to sticking to it" (THEBIGLEAD.com, 9/17). THE MMQB's Peter King writes he misses Jaworski and Merril Hoge on “NFL Matchup.” King: "I do like their heirs, Greg Cosell and Louis Riddick, with Sal Paolantonio. It’s the most underrated football show on TV" (MMQB.SI.com, 9/18).