Rules analyst John Parry leaves ESPN, takes job with an unnamed team
ESPN rules analyst John Parry is leaving the network. According to FootballZebras.com, Parry will become officiating liaison for an NFL team.
The team is not currently known.
Parry said he'll assist the coaching staff on replay decisions and rules matters. He declined to name the team in his comments to FootballZebras.com.
“Officials look at the game so differently than players, coaches, and fans,” Parry said. “So to have somebody up [in the booth]: Hey, this is the mechanic, this is why that person made that call. And no matter what happens to this replay, if they flip it, here’s where the ball will be spotted. Here’s the down in distance. The clock’s gonna start in the ready for play, or it’s a 10-second runoff, so you could take a timeout. So you better start thinking about that, will you take one? Will you not?”
It could become a new employment path for game officials who are ready to move on, especially if teams value that position more than the NFL values officials.
That's the reality for the network jobs. The league's broadcast partners pay better than the league does, generally speaking. And it sounds as if a team lured Parry away from ESPN, possibly in part by offering more money.
It's unknown whether ESPN will replace Parry right away.
