As the NFL on Fox kicked off its 30th season, one notable personality was absent from the festivities. You may have noticed that longtime rules expert Mike Pereira wasn’t on any of the telecasts. There was a good reason for that.
Pereira revealed that he suffered an injury that’s kept him away from television. The Fox NFL personality posted, “Well, the season is starting, and for me, I am on IR. Bad back and soon to come surgery keep some from traveling and keeps me home. You are blessed not to see me on the tube for the possibly the season. I will be able to answer your questions during the week that you might have.”
Pereira has been a staple of NFL coverage on the Fox network for more than a decade. He was a former college football and NFL official and then was named supervisor of officiating in 1998. He eventually became the Director of Officiating and then later retired in 2009. Pereira then quickly landed a job at Fox, which was seen as an advent at the time. Networks later would add rules experts like Gene Steratore, Dean Blandino, Terry McAuley, and others to their NFL coverage. Some former officials have worked out better than others, but the rules analyst is a major part of pretty much every network’s football coverage in large part due to Pereira’s success in the role.
It’s unfortunate news, but good health trumps everything. So, best wishes to Mike Pereira before he undergoes surgery, and may he have a speedy and full recovery.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022