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🏈 The original star of Last Chance U, Buddy Stephens, was abruptly fired from his job at East Mississippi Community College after criticizing administrators over playoff schedules.

📺 YouTube TV subscribers can rejoice that ESPN Unlimited content is now finally and fully integrated within their platform.

🏈 The Tennessee Titans pulled the credentials of podcaster Jared Stillman after his viral exchange with Cam Ward last week.

⛳ Both Callaway and Good Good have made firings in the wake of the disastrous advertisement that damaged both golf brands.

🏈 College football needs to take a page from the NFL and start its season with a bang and not a whimper.

🎤 Trey Wingo is teaming up with former ESPN colleagues Damien Woody, Merril Hoge, and Mark Schlereth for a new YouTube show.

Read more of today’s top stories at Awful Announcing.

As Karl Ravech called his final assignment for ESPN, his longtime Baseball Tonight colleague Tim Kurkjian gave him the ultimate praise — that he belonged on the Mount Rushmore of the worldwide leader in sports. Ravech served ESPN as an anchor, studio host, and play-by-play man for well over 30 years. He was one of the most identifiable people on the network and a bridge to what many might consider the network's peak, when it was at its highest cultural significance, and cable television ruled the world.

Naturally, that assessment raises the question of who has truly earned their place in the most exclusive club in sports media. The great thing about these debates is that there are only four spots on the mountaintop. That means some tough decisions have to be made.

While there are several worthy names in contention to make it on the ESPN Mount Rushmore, Awful Announcing is unveiling its definitive list of honorees. Here now is your first look:

Chris Berman - The only unanimous choice from the Awful Announcing staff. And who else could it be? Nobody else has symbolized the rise of ESPN and the force that it would become quite like Chris Berman. "Boomer" began his journey as a SportsCenter anchor just a month after the network launched in October 1979. Over the following decades, he became a sports media institution.

Stuart Scott - If you asked most sports fans who the most iconic, memorable, and impactful ESPN anchor would be, odds are that there would be one clear answer at the top of the list — Stuart Scott. He first joined ESPN in 1993 to help launch ESPN2 and help the network reach a younger demographic. As he rose to prominence, Scott's journey at ESPN wasn't always easy as he helped move sports presentation on television in a new direction. But the road is not always straight and smooth when blazing a new trail.

Scott Van Pelt - Just this week, Scott Van Pelt began his 12th year of SportsCenter with SVP as the lead personality of ESPN's nightly version of their most famous and consequential show on record. SportsCenter now is not the same as it was in the days of Stuart Scott and Chris Berman. It can't be, not with the changes in how we consume sports, news, and media. The industry has shifted toward a more personality-driven approach, and ESPN needed someone they could trust to help lead them into a new era. And when you think of Scott Van Pelt, trust is the word that comes to mind.

Stephen A. Smith - Whether you love it or not, Smith has been the driving force behind the movement that turned ESPN from a network that showed games and highlights into one that focuses on debates, narratives, and conversations. In much the same way that SportsCenter had to change because of shifting sports-fan habits, the network as a whole has changed its approach. And just as Chris Berman became bigger than ESPN in the 1980s and 1990s, you can make the same argument that Stephen A. Smith (and even more recently Pat McAfee) have been able to do the same in the 2010s and 2020s.

Honorable Mention: Dick Vitale, Lee Corso, Bob Ley, Linda Cohn, Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermann

Barstool Van Talk almost took Dan Patrick’s “en fuego” catchphrase to the literal extreme.

Kevin Brown nailed this call of Colton Cowser’s incredible game-winning catch in the late hours of Monday evening.

If Tom Rinaldi spoofing himself to hype up ridiculous NFL predictions doesn’t get First Things First their Sports Emmy, then nothing will.

While it’s not on the level of Kevin Durant’s burner activity, whoever is managing Tua Tagovailoa’s Instagram page did not do the Falcons quarterback any favors with this faux pas.

"Not allowed to do that. So all those bets went out the window. All that special time I had with Hank out the window as well. The good news is I’m going to be in Boston, and maybe at some point I’ll make some more wagers down the road. There you go. Lesson learned." - Bill Simmons addressed the mini-controversy over his proxy wagers via FanDuel that the platform and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission took very seriously.

“Could you imagine me trying to kick a field goal? That would be a bad sight to see. It would be worse than the first pitch.” - Stephen A. Smith would actually consider doing Pat McAfee’s field goal kicking contest on College GameDay.

"And I just wonder if you guys notice that the sport is disproportionately Black, and the broadcasters who get hired are disproportionately white, and it's on purpose ... it's to make it palatable to the broadest section of people." - Dan Le Batard has some thoughts on the composition of NFL broadcast booths.

Tony Romo issued his first public statement since his July OWI arrest in Wisconsin. In the weeks since the incident, Romo’s professional career at CBS has been thrown into uncertainty. He was suspended indefinitely from the network, and J.J. Watt has already been promoted to his spot alongside Jim Nantz for now.

Romo’s message was heartfelt, taking responsibility for his actions and admitting issues with alcohol that extended from his playing days and a reliance on painkillers. It also referred to his intended return to CBS.

But now the question is whether CBS feels the same way. And if their initial reaction to Romo’s statement is any indication, they do not.

Instead of issuing a joint statement or synchronizing their responses, CBS declined to comment on Romo.

Throughout the saga, there has been a perception that CBS may look to move on from Tony Romo given his massive salary and the criticism he has received in recent years for his performance. There has been talk about a morals clause and how big of a legal fight could ensue if CBS looked to move in a new direction.

Clearly, Tony Romo needs to take time to get himself right. That’s the most important thing. But it’s natural to wonder whether the statement is also a message to his bosses that he won't go quietly if the network attempts to cut ties permanently.

At the very least, it’s a sign that CBS and Romo are not operating out of the same playbook when it comes to navigating this situation and what it means for his present and his future. But it could also mean that there is much more to come between the two sides before this situation gets resolved.