ESPN made a roster move at Good Morning Football for the upcoming NFL season. Former NFL defensive back Will Blackmon is out before the season even starts.
What We Know: Blackmon claims he re-joined the GMFB roster in April after earning a full-time role last season on NFL Network. He had worked his way up from a rotating contributor following Akbar Gbaja-Biamila’s departure after one season. However, ESPN released him ahead of the upcoming NFL season as the network shapes its programming vision for NFL Network. Blackmon played 10 NFL seasons after being drafted by the Packers in the fourth round out of Boston College in 2006.
What They Said: Will Blackmon (via X): “Dang. ESPN/GMFB let me go on my day off. I was added to the roster in April and didn’t even get a snap. A Healthy scratch. I went from practice squad to a camp body.”
What Remains Unclear: It’s unknown who will fill Blackmon’s spot as ESPN finalizes the GMFB lineup. ESPN has not revealed publicly any new additions or subtractions to the GMFB roster for the upcoming season.
What It Means: Good Morning Football will be one of the biggest storylines heading into the NFL season under ESPN control. With ESPN absorbing so many talent from the NFL Network, it will be interesting to see who stays and who goes. Blackmon could very well be signed again by the network, possibly in another role that ESPN sees as a better fit.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
