The Sunday NFL Countdown pregame show on ESPN is without one of its mainstays this week, and perhaps for some time. That would be analyst Randy Moss, who’s the longest-tenured member of the current team, joining the show in 2016. But Moss announced through ESPN PR this week that he’s stepping away from the show “to focus on a personal health challenge.” And that led to the show opening Sunday with host Mike Greenberg, analysts Rex Ryan, Alex Smith, and Tedy Bruschi, and insider Adam Schefter all paying tribute to Moss:
A little later in the show, they showed images of Vikings’ fans supporting Moss, and then did the famed “You Got Mossed” segment, with Greenberg saying “Randy wants to see You Got Mossed today. He was adamant that we do it today, so we’ve got to do it right.” And that segment ended with the whole show crew saluting Moss.
Moss himself chimed in on that video with appreciation for the fans and his ESPN teammates:
Moss wore blue-tinted glasses on the show last week, and discussed on air and on social media that he was battling a health-related issue then. On Friday, ESPN then put out that statement on him stepping away. We send our best to Moss and his family and friends as he faces this challenge.
[ESPN PR on X]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.