Taylor Tuellman is leaving ESPN, so what’s going to he do subsequent?

For these unaware of a few of ESPN’s current choices in terms of soccer, it could have come as a shock Friday afternoon when Taylor Twellman tweeted that his time with the community is coming to an finish after practically 13 years.

In spite of everything, the previous Revolution star has been considered one of ESPN’s most distinguished soccer advocates and voices as the game’s reputation has grown in the US, taking one other huge leap with the current Males’s World Cup.

And Twellman is educated, versatile and fascinating sufficient to proceed to be a welcome fixture on debate and studio exhibits. So what provides?

“It was 100% my determination,” stated Twellman, whose contract is expiring and has been supplied a brand new contract. “We had pleasant conversations, this was not one thing like an argument, a battle. It was the fitting time after 13 wonderful years.”

Twellman hasn’t selected his subsequent transfer, however he has choices that embody soccer media, a broader media position and perhaps even a administration gig someplace. “I will determine all of it out,” he stated, “however I do not suppose it can take lengthy.”

If Twellman had been to re-up with ESPN, he would have some change in roles. ESPN has drastically in the reduction of its soccer protection, particularly by way of rights offers, at the same time as the game grows in reputation throughout the state.

It misplaced UEFA Champions League rights to CBS forward of the 2021-22 season and is not the tv house for MLS, which now has a streaming cope with Apple TV, whereas Fox owns linear rights. The 2026 World Cup will even be broadcast on Fox, and because the U.S. males’s crew doesn’t qualify as one of many hosts, there could be minimal matches for ESPN to broadcast within the interim.

Twellman would have some soccer duties if he had been to resume with ESPN, however his position would probably be extra as a speaking head than as considered one of soccer’s distinguished voices.

“The World Cup involves your yard and now you get out of it, or at the very least in the reduction of. That is fairly telling,” he stated. “However you recognize me. Regardless of the place I’m going, I would be the world’s best champion for the game.”

Allegro left an enduring mark

Jim Allegro, a former Holy Cross soccer star and longtime tv govt who was an necessary, revered behind-the-scenes determine within the formation of ESPN, died on New Yr’s Eve in St. Augustine, Florida. He was 88 years previous.

Allegro, who held senior monetary and operational roles at Capital Cities/ABC earlier than becoming a member of ESPN, was ESPN’s chief monetary officer and govt vp from 1990-95. Throughout that point, he was instrumental within the creation of ESPN2, ESPN Radio and the ESPYs.

However his best contribution was his management in founding the V Basis, named after legendary school basketball coach and ESPN analyst Jim Valvano, who died of most cancers in April 1993 at age 47. The muse has raised greater than $310 million in grants for most cancers analysis. . Allegro remained honorary director of the V Basis till his dying.

A commendable report

In writing final week about ESPN’s instantaneous protection of Payments security Damar Hamlin’s collapse after a success on Monday night time’s recreation, I highlighted the nice work Ryan Clark and Scott Van Pelt did on SportsCenter that night time. An individual I had uncared for. Lisa Salters, essentially the most dependable of reporters round, who described the scene time and again vividly however with out delving into hypothesis. Salters cried at one level as he talked concerning the bile thrown on the stadium and the horrified seems to be on the Payments and Bengals gamers, and whereas some may suppose reporters are stoic, human emotion is welcome underneath such circumstances.. CBS NFL NFL Broadcast #1 crew of Jim Nantz, Tony Romon and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson will name Sunday’s necessary and undoubtedly emotional Payments-Patriots recreation. That is their second Patriots recreation of the season, the primary being New England’s 27-24 extra time loss to the Packers in Week 4. Opinions range on the broadcasters, however I appreciated CBS’ #2 crew of Ian Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan. Washburn on the final two Patriots video games (Bengals, Dolphins). I might take these three any week.

Plenty of seems to be at Fenway

The Bruins’ win over the Penguins within the Winter Traditional on Monday was the most-watched NHL regular-season recreation ever on cable tv, averaging 1.8 million viewers on TNT. That is up 31 p.c from final yr’s Blues-Wild recreation, which drew 1.4 million viewers. The attract of the Bruins and Penguins was actually a part of the uptick, however forgive me, whereas I attribute a lot of it to the spectacular aesthetic of Fenway Park as a winter backdrop…Wealthy Keefe deserved higher in WEEI’s current lineup reshuffle. He constructed amiable chemistry with Andy Gresh within the afternoons, and he deserves a way more distinguished position than on weeknights. In the meantime, the addition of Adam Jones to WEEI’s afternoon-drive program appears imminent. Jones’ references to in-fielder Michael Felger have largely been scrubbed from 98.5 The Sports activities Hub, the place he hosts the night present till his contract expires on the finish of the yr.. In case you missed it, Rafael Devers 11- Carlos Baerga breaks up with Pink Sox on Twitter 331 million greenback contract. Baerga, who performed for the Sox in 2002, was additionally the primary to signal Justin Verlander with the Mets final month, however he addressed another data. I can consider there’s a development of former Pink Sox utility gamers if Chris Steins tells us how this Carlos Correa state of affairs might be dealt with.