King has been a senior writer at SI for 29 years and is among the nation’s most respected sports scribesSports Illustrated
The MMQB's Peter King has signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that begins this July in which he will write a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com, make regular appearances on "PFT Live with Mike Florio" and continue to contribute to "Football Night in America." King's column will now be published exclusively on NBCSports.com. In addition to his NFL responsibilities, King will report on some of NBC Sports' most high-profile events, including the Stanley Cup Final, '20 Tokyo Games and more (NBC). VARIETY's Ariana Brockington noted King has been a "senior writer for 29 years at Sports Illustrated and is among the nation’s most respected sports scribes." He tweeted a simple, “Thank you” to the magazine after the agreement with NBC Sports was announced. King’s departure follows the news that SI's new owner, Meredith Corp., is "considering selling the storied weekly magazine." Meredith also recently "laid off 200 employees and plans to eliminated 1,000 more positions in the following months" (VARIETY.com, 5/3). YAHOO SPORTS' Jay Busbee noted although SI’s stature has "waned in the last decade, it remains a marquee destination for sports fans, and King has been a major contributor to that reputation." The magazine’s loss "will be NBC’s gain" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/3). King said the MMQB vertical "will continue to exist" at SI.com. He said, "I leave nine writers there who are the average age of 30 years old and they are ready to take the next step so there they go" ("Get Up!," ESPN, 5/4).
TIMING FELT RIGHT: King said the move to NBC is happening because "sometimes you just feel like it's time." King: "I've been doing this for a long, long time obviously, and I felt at the end of the day like, not that I couldn't handle what the game had become and what the coverage of it had become ... I just kind of had it with the 'you're always on call' part of it." He added, "I'll be writing less -- there's no doubt about it -- because that's one of the things where I just don't want to answer every fire bell anymore. I want to give perspective. The other thing that I think that I'll do, we haven't even finished discussing how it will be, but I'll go on my training camp trip for 30 days, and I hope to be doing either some video content (or) some podcast from the road" ("PFT," NBCSN, 5/4).
TWITTER REAX: On Twitter, praise for King was effusive, particularly among SI/MMQB staff.SI Managing Editor Chris Stone: "One of the great runs in @sinow history, one of the great runs in media, period." Andy Benoit: "For covering the NFL, he’s the best of all-time." Kalyn Kahler: "A champion for women & minorities." Jenny Vrentas: "Perhaps the most meaningful thing @SI_PeterKing did @theMMQB was his commitment to hiring a diverse staff, in both gender & race." Andy Staples: "It’s pretty rare when the highest profile, most famous person at a place is also the hardest working person at that place." The Athletic's Richard Deitsch: "An incredible colleague. He was generous with his time and counsel -- and especially with younger writers/reporters." The Ringer's Bill Simmons: "Congrats to @SI_PeterKing for a truly influential 29-year run at Sports Illustrated. Hard to imagine him anywhere else." ESPN's Bill Barnwell: "Cannot imagine Monday mornings without him, although if anyone deserves the break, it’s PK." Packers reporter Bob McGinn: "He departs as not only the most influential NFL writer but in some ways the conscience of the game."
