Fox Hires Shawne Merriman To Be A Full Time In-Season Analyst For
Thursday, August 21, 2008
It still continues to amaze me that Baseball steroid users are sent into purgatory but with Football ones the transgression is almost forgotten entirely. But that's a discussion for another day. Shawne Merriman of your San Diego (Super)Chargers has just been hired by FSN to be an analyst for their Sunday Football show, Pro Football Preivew. Via the LA Times....
The Chargers linebacker will be an in-studio analyst for FSN's Pro Football Preview, which Fox says will be the first time a current player has served in a full-time capacity for any national pregame studio show for any sport.It's not really a new concept to have a player sit-in for a show or two during the season, but to have someone on every week on a national show, is a pretty big deal. I'm not the biggest Eddie George fan in the world, and I'm not sure how Glazer is as a host, but it might actually be worth checking out. Merriman might just be able to give some good middle of the season insight. Well unless he's cut of the Herm Edwards mold.
The show will be taped in Los Angeles on Thursdays, and Merriman will be flown by private plane to and from San Diego so that he doesn't miss practices. He will be joined on the show by host Jay Glazer and analyst Eddie George.
"It is one thing to have somebody who played talk about what's going on each week, but to have somebody who is still playing takes our show to another level," Fox Senior Vice President Rick Jaffe said in a written statement. "The insight he will bring just raised the bar for every NFL pre-game show on television."
Chargers' Shawne Merriman will be in-studio analyst (LA Times)
10 Comments:
Merriman is very media savvy. He has a weekly radio show here in SD during the season. It's only 30 minutes long, but he carries it quite well. So long as he doesn't fuck up (again) he'll be set for a post-football career.
Good call Anon. Even Jose Canseco is sort of accepted these days.
I agree wholeheartedly with AA's comments on the treatment of Merriman compared to notable baseball users. Vina wasn't exactly a high-profile player, but look at the treatment of users and even alleged users, names like Palmeiro, Sosa, Bonds, McGwire, etc.
It's just another example of the NFL being the media darling that gets everything swept under the rug by their "house" media outlets.
While I do agree it's hypocritical, most of the baseball players have lied (Clemens), denied (Bonds), no habla ingles (Sosa) and gone into hiding (McGwire). I feel like Rodney Harrison, Merriman, etc. are cut slack by fans because they did serve a penalty. Not saying it's not a ridiculous double-standard, because in the case of MSM my guess is no one wants to ruffle the feathers of the billion-dollar gooes.
Considering the story, the PFT blurb about Merriman's ongoing knee issues and possibly not being able to play this year seems more credible.
I'm "hoping" his TV career goes up in flames so I can do a 'Lights Out' sack dance after he's off the air for good.
/Jemele Hill
Jason Sehorn and Tim Brown must be pissed. This show sucks by the way.
ESPN gave Merriman a seat on NFL Live too. From what I've read lately, Merriman might have some free time on his hands to due body-breakdown of PEDs.
Merriman could be out for the season with his knee injury. So much for ground breaking.
ESPN still has Fernando Vina on Baseball Tonight, and he was in the Mitchell Report. Honestly, it seems like anyone is pretty much forgiven as long as they admit as such( Giambi, Pettitte). If you deny, deny, deny, you get blackballed(Bonds, Clemens)