With the Covid-19 Pandemic making travel unsafe, especially for the older population, Jimmy Johnson has decided that he will not be traveling to FOX’s Los Angeles studio on Sundays during the season. The network says that doesn’t mean the two-time Super Bowl champ will not be a part of FOX NFL Sunday though.
“Jimmy Johnson is a key member of the FOX NFL Sunday team, but more importantly, he’s family. We fully support and respect his decision to not travel to our Los Angeles-based studio for the time being due to the ongoing pandemic,” FOX said in a statement to Andrew Marchand of The New York Post.
It later added that FOX NFL Sunday would find “unique ways” to use Johnson this season.
Jimmy Johnson is 77-years-old. The former Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins coach tweeted about his decision on Thursday.
He and FOX both add that the door is open for him to resume travel later in the season.
The list of older sports broadcasters choosing to stay home during the COVID-19 Pandemic is not a short one. The NBA’s bubble in Walt Disney World is missing TNT’s Marv Albert, who is 79, and ESPN’s Hubie Brown, who is 86. Doc Emerick is not in either of the NHL bubbles in Edmonton and Toronto. He is still calling games from his home though.
