Monday Night Football's Tony Kornheiser Steps Down

After three seasons of white-knuckling his way through a 20-week travel schedule, Monday Night Football analyst and noted aviophobe Tony Kornheiser has grounded himself. Citing his lifelong fear of flying, the 60-year-old sportswriter announced Monday that he will not return to the ESPN booth this fall.Kornheiser will be replaced by former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden when MNF returns for its fortieth season. Gruden will make his first appearance alongside MNF signal callers Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski on August 13, when ESPN broadcasts its first NFL contest of the 2009 campaign, a pre-season Super Bowl rematch between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.“The decision had been weighing on him. Anyone who knows Tony knows that he did a phenomenal job of putting up with the travel,” said Norby Williamson, ESPN executive vp, production. “He gave everything he had for three years and he helped us build that franchise.”When ESPN first offered Kornheiser the MNF job back in 2006, he told anyone who would listen that he was “terrified” of flying. While Kornheiser revealed that he had consulted a psychiatrist in an attempt to come to terms with his phobia, he also predicted that the travel issue would ultimately cause him to walk away from the booth.“It’s a terrible fear, the one thing that will knock me out,” Kornheiser said in a June 2006 interview. “It’s the one thing that will make me say, after X amount of years, I’m done, because I just hate it.”In a statement released by ESPN, Kornheiser said that his phobia had finally gotten the better of him. “My fear of planes is legendary and sadly true,” he said. “I kept looking at the schedule the past month and wanted to find a way to quietly extricate myself.”Kornheiser said he will continue to co-host ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption, a job that requires no air travel.ESPN had been in contact with Gruden since January, when he was fired by the Bucs after seven seasons. In Gruden’s final season at the helm, Tampa Bay (9-7) finished third in the NFC South.“I love football and the last couple months of my life have been tough,” Gruden said. “ESPN has graciously given me this opportunity ... and I’m excited to try something that I really believe in.”Terms of Gruden’s contract were not disclosed, although it’s likely the 45-year-old will be lured back to the sidelines after a season in the booth.“I coached for 23 years and I’ll be honest with you, I love the National Football League. I miss it,” Gruden said. “But I’m a very short-term goal-oriented person and I’m really focused on what’s ahead. I’m going to concentrate and prepare myself to be part of the ESPN team.” Gruden got his first taste of broadcasting this winter, when he served as a temporary analyst for NFL Network’s coverage of the league’s scouting combine. In April, Gruden returned to NFL Network to work the draft, earning positive reviews for his analysis.A head coach for 11 seasons, Gruden first took the helm of an NFL franchise in 1998, with Oakland. After four seasons and two playoff appearances, Gruden moved to Tampa in 2002. In his first season with the Bucs, he led the team to its only NFL championship, beating his former charges 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVI.

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Monday Night Football's Tony Kornheiser Steps Down

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