SI

Traina Thoughts: Lee Corso Got Up and Walked Out of the NFL Draft During ESPN's Live Coverage

Video: ESPN's Lee Corso gets up and leaves during NFL draft.

Jimmy Traina

Michael Shroyer/Getty Images

1. If you were watching ABC's coverage of the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night, you may have seen an amusing, yet bizarre moment.

While the College GameDay crew of Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard were breaking down the 11th pick of the draft, their colleague Lee Corso packed up his belonging and said goodbye.

Davis was talking about the Bengals selecting Jonah Williams and caught the 83-year-old Corso planning his departure. "Taking off on us?," Davis asked.

"Yeah, I gotta go," Corso said. "See you guys. I’ll see you guys in the fall."

Corso then voiced his shock over Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins still being on the board and walked right off the set.

While saying, "screw this," and leaving your job whenever you feel like it is a huge power move that we all wish we could pull off from time to time, Corso's getaway did not shock ABC/ESPN execs.

I reached out to an ESPN spokesperson who said the network's plan all along was for Corso to only work a portion of the draft. The network expected Corso to only be on air for about 10 picks and this was a unique way for him to exit the show.

2. Since the Disney corporation decided to air the NFL draft on ABC as well as ESPN, that meant Jeopardy! was pre-empted in some markets Thursday night and will be pre-empted in some markets Friday. Obviously, a lot of the nation is caught up in Jeopardy! James's ridiculous winning streak (he won for the 16th straight day Thursday), so people are mad at ABC, ESPN and the NFL and they are tweeting about it.

Content is unavailable

3. I guess, as a member of the sports media, I'm supposed to be offended by this Baker Mayfield tweet, but the truth is, I find it very funny.

4. This would be a 100 percent YES.

Content is unavailable

5. The newest Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features an interview with Jim Nantz of CBS Sports. So far in 2019, the veteran play-by-play man has called an epic AFC title game between the Patriots and Chiefs, one of the most boring Super Bowls of all time, a thrilling Final Four (including Virginia’s stunning comeback in the title game) and a little golf tournament known as the Masters won by Tiger Woods. Nantz goes in-depth on all of these topics. He also explains why he has absolutely no use for Twitter, talks about the NFL schedule release, and more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play.

6. Charles Barkley racing Kenny Smith was more exciting than anything that took place during the NFL draft.

7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: Whoever handles the official Office YouTube page recently put together a video of all the times Jim looked at the camera. 

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

IN CLOSING: Wherever he ends up, I will be rooting very hard for Josh Rosen this season.

Published
Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

Home/Extra Mustard