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Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer James Brown of CBS was the guest on the most recent episode of the SI Media with Jimmy Traina podcast. In a wide-ranging discussion which included going back to Brown’s basketball playing days at DeMatha High School, his college recruitment and tryouts with the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics, the two also discussed Brown’s distinguished career.
Brown was at CBS before leaving for Fox in 1994 to become the host of the NFL on Fox pregame show with Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson. After the 2005 season, Brown left Fox and rejoined CBS. At the time, the public was under the impression Brown chose to leave in order to work closer to his home in Washington, D.C.
Traina asked Brown about that and while he said being closer to his home was a factor, that was only after he couldn’t reach terms with Fox. Traina asked Brown if it was a difficult decision to leave.
Brown said, “It was a difficult decision. I’m sure Sean McManus, my previous boss, whom I love, would share that with you as well. It wasn’t my decision to want to leave. And I understand that there’s a business side of this.”
Brown said the chemistry was there with his pregame co-hosts and he enjoyed working with them and all of the people involved in the organization. He added, “I certainly didn’t map it out that way.”
Traina pressed Brown a bit on the circumstances of his exit just to make sure he had the story clear. He said he was unaware Brown’s first choice was to stay with Fox.
“Would I have left Fox if in fact, the right offer had been put on the table? I don’t think so,” Brown said. “If Ed Goren, the president might’ve had an even more significant role. Fine. But once I’ve shaken hands, when I shook hands with Sean McManus on that deal, my mother taught me way back when…She said, ‘young man, your word is your bond.’
“So, when I shook hands with Sean McManus and Sandy Montag about that, that that’s where I would go. Irrespective of an offer that came in after the fact that was what was being sought fairly on the front end, I had shaken hands. You honor your word. And that’s what I did. Yes, sir.”
As such it didn’t work out and Brown said, “I am thrilled to have been sought after and desired by CBS…Let me give credit on the other side that Sean McManus is one of the absolute best executives of all time in the world of sports media, sports journalism, broadcast journalism. He was awesome. I bought him.”
Brown said he is still having fun and remembers when John Madden told him that if someone is thinking about retirement, they have already retired. Brown said that is not in his current thoughts and added, “It’s still fun. I’m having a blast at it. I’m enthusiastic about it, but it’s always about my colleagues. It’s never about me as the host. My mantra is ‘make them look good’.
