NEW YORK (AP) – Mike Tirico will take part in NBC’s Olympic coverage in Rio this summer after he joins the network July 1.
NBC formally announced Monday that Tirico was leaving ESPN after a quarter-century. Details about Tirico’s assignments won’t be revealed until after he completes his contract at ESPN at the end of June, NBC Sports executive producer Sam Flood said on a conference call.
The network did say in a news release that Tirico, who is leaving behind the “Monday Night Football” play-by-play gig, would be involved in its Sunday and Thursday prime-time NFL broadcasts. NBC is adding five Thursday games this fall, creating an immediate play-by-play opportunity there.
Shortly after NBC introduced Tirico, ESPN announced that Sean McDonough would replace him on “Monday Night Football.”
Tirico emphasized that his new job at NBC is a long-term proposition. And while he and Flood didn’t want to get into specifics, the deal could eventually lead to the possibility of replacing Al Michaels on “Sunday Night Football” and Bob Costas as the Olympic host.