Bob Costas’ conscience told him it’s time to step away from Super Bowl Sunday.
The veteran NBC broadcaster surprisingly was absent from the network’s scheduled talent lineup for its Super Bowl LII broadcast, and he explained to THE DAILY on Wednesday via email why he is sitting out U.S. television’s highest-profile event of the year. Costas says his concerns over brain injuries have dampened his enthusiasm for the NFL and also insists he and NBC made the decision together.
“The decision was mutually agreeable, and not only do I not have a problem with it, I am actually happy about it,” Costas told The DAILY, per Sports Business News’ John Ourand. “I have long had ambivalent feelings about football, so at this point, it’s better to leave the hosting to those who are more enthusiastic about it.”
Costas, a longtime critic of the NFL’s handling of concussions, is a fixture on NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Football” broadcasts and rejects the idea NBC is reacting at the league’s behest to comments he made in November at a University of Maryland seminar.
“I have been making the same points for several years, often on NBC. In halftime commentaries, interviews with Roger Goodell and other prominent NFL figures, appearances on CNN and elsewhere, I have addressed the issue of football and its undeniable connection to brain trauma many times,” Costas continued. “Why? Because the evidence is overwhelming and the effects are often devastating. It’s the elephant in the stadium at every game whether others choose to acknowledge it or not. And it’s not going away. …”
Dan Patrick and Liam McHugh will host NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl LII, which will take place Feb. 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn, between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. Costas will watch from afar, like most of us.
