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🏈 Dungy done. Tony Dungy is leaving Football Night in America. Dungy confirmed Thursday that NBC informed him he won’t be back on the show this fall, ending a 17-year run with the network. We previously reported that Rodney Harrison is likely to follow, but no news yet on that front.

🏀 Holly airball. ESPN reporter Holly Rowe had a bit of a snafu on Thursday, accidentally posting WNBA CBA news and seemingly forgetting to delete instructions from her source, the league. “Just so you have on background – no attribution to me or the league,” she wrote in the since-deleted X post.

⚾ Off the Mark. Team USA manager Mark DeRosa keeps putting his foot in his mouth as he tries to explain away his unfortunate remarks before their WBC loss to Italy. On Thursday, he referred to “a couple false narratives out there” regarding his initial comments and mistakenly said they were 2-0 before playing Italy (they were 3-0).

📱 What the Buc? The odd story of the fake Emeka Egbuka X account posting about the veracity of CTE took a turn when Front Office Sports revealed that the Buccaneers’ official account had been tagging this fake account since they drafted him.

🎤 End of an era. Tim Brando opined about the fact that he won’t be on the call for the Big East Tournament or March Madness this year, saying, “Hopefully, those opportunities will return, but if they don’t? I’ve been blessed.”

Tom Brady has been described as many things. A competitor. A winner. A strategist. A leader.

He is, also, human.

As such, over the course of his NFL playing and post-playing careers, he has shown himself to also be intense, petty, obsessive, and demanding.

When Brady became an NFL analyst for Fox, there was a presumption that he was biting off more than he could chew, especially with everything else going on in his personal and business lives. But he's acquitted himself fairly well in two years. Credit due.

When Brady also became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, it set off alarm bells that his dual roles would create conflicts of interest, giving him and the Raiders competitive advantages based on his insider knowledge and special access to players and coaches. The notion of that conflict has been pushed back on by Fox, NFL media members, the NFL, and Brady himself. And so far, despite a few awkward moments, it hasn't seemed to cause anything untoward.

In recent weeks, however, we’ve started to get the sense that Brady the Owner is getting annoyed with some of his rivals.

The most glaring grudge appears to be with the team he was synonymous with for most of his playing career: The New England Patriots. He stirred up a hornet’s nest when he initially made it clear he wasn’t rooting for them in Super Bowl LX, only somewhat switching gears after intense blowback from former teammates.

The angst between him and New England became more acute when it came time to trade star defensive player Maxx Crosby, and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the Patriots never had a chance because there was "no way Tom (Brady) was sending Maxx to (Pats coach Mike) Vrabel," per a source. Brady’s apparent issues with the Pats have even his most ardent supporters turning on him.

As for the Crosby trade, that fell apart this past week when the Baltimore Ravens backed out of the deal that would have sent two first-round picks to Las Vegas. While Brady himself didn’t comment, the team released a very terse statement. Given how the reversal could screw up the team’s free agency plans, it would not be hard to imagine Brady the Owner steaming over the way it all played out and wanting to exact some payback.

And just like that, it appears that Brady the Owner has very personal reasons to hold grudges against both the Patriots and the Ravens.

It only stands to reason that those grudges could impact the way Brady the Broadcaster handles himself in his duties for Fox.

Perhaps it only plays out in sarcastic asides or half-jokes, but it’s not unreasonable to wonder how else Brady’s personal vendettas could play out behind the scenes. If he’s calling a Patriots or Ravens game, he could influence the perception of their play-calling or decision-making. Thanks to his access to production meetings, pre-game encounters, and other avenues, he could easily emphasize schmoozing potential free agents he wants to sway his way.

A lot of folks around sports media scoff at these possibilities, but we also haven’t really seen Brady the Broadcaster dealing with two significant situations: Calling more AFC games and calling games at a time when the Raiders are really good. That latter part is where we’ll really find out if there’s going to be a conflict. If the Raiders ever become contenders again, how will he and his opponents react to having him call their games? Will these teams allow him into their building to meet with their coaches and players when there’s a chance they could have to play the Raiders to make the Super Bowl? And will Brady really remain impartial on that road as well?

It’s no different than the situation around Troy Aikman and the Miami Dolphins. The ESPN announcer has a personal, vested interest in Miami succeeding and looking as good as possible, which will undoubtedly influence his commentary about them in any MNF game. He and ESPN can deny that all they want, but of course, it will.

This is all speculative, but if you’ve lived long enough and been around enough human beings, you know that anything’s possible. That’s especially true when you’re talking about one of the most competitive and demanding people alive. It’s a nice story to tell ourselves that he’ll always stay above the fray. But when you stop and think about it, the odds that a person like that would remain neutral, especially when he’s personally aggrieved by these other franchises, is naive.

And both Brady the Owner and Brady the Broadcaster are counting on you being naive for as long as possible.

“For him to have a special night like that and the Miami Heat fans to have, I thought that was wonderful, too. Both sides are correct points. I’m not trying to cop out by saying they’re both right, but sometimes there’s a gray area in there. Not everything’s definitive, and we don’t have to be outraged by everything.” - Mike Breen on the reaction to Bam Adebayo’s 83-point performance.

“People’s emotions about Kobe are overriding their frontal lobes, where the judgment is. And it’s making them say foolish stuff about Bam.” - Max Kellerman on the outrage around Adebayo’s big night.

"I apologize to absolutely no one. Period." - Erik Spoelstra on the reaction to Bam Adebayo's 83-point game.

“A lot of the time now, the person, whether it’s on the radio, talk show, or some podcast or whatever, the person who is the most vitriolic can claim to be the most honest. The person who says that everybody’s a liar and everything’s bullsh*t. Cynicism is not the same thing as insight.” - Bob Costas on independant media.

“This is one of the most ridiculous unforced errors I’ve ever seen the NFL commit… I think the whole thing demeans the effort to enhance minority hiring by rewarding teams for developing talent that results in a hire as a head coach or a general manager. They’re splitting hairs unnecessarily.” - Mike Florio on the NFL’s decision to deny the Bears compensatory picks over Ian Cunningham.

“In spite of the recent propaganda, I’ve always been a mid-major guy.” - Bruce Pearl, distancing himself from his Miami (Ohio) comments.

“I am disappointed that the video was even made… There are families here in our country whose loved ones have decided to give their lives to fight for our rights and our freedoms, who don’t see war as a sport. War doesn’t deserve a highlight film.” - Ryan Clark, on a White House video using his highlights to gloat about bombing in Iran.

“I know they’re only exploring it, but can the NFL leave a holy day alone? How much football can we take? Let the NBA have Thanksgiving Eve.” - Chris Russo on the NFL potentially eyeing a Thanksgiving Eve game.

On the latest episode of The Awful Announcing Podcast, host Brandon Contes is joined by NFL on CBS and NCAA March Madness broadcaster Spero Dedes. Brandon and Spero discuss a wide range of topics, including preparing to call four tournament games in one day, Kobe Bryant's 81-point game, leaving as the radio voice of the LA Lakers, and more.

Click the video to watch on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen to our podcasts.

In one of the more absurd college basketball storylines in recent memory, the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks and Auburn Tigers have made for a tale of two programs this season.

On the one hand, the RedHawks raced through the regular season, racking up wins and finishing with an undefeated record and a national ranking. Sure, their schedule was soft, but there’s something to be said for, you know, actually winning all the games in front of you.

On the other hand, you have the Tigers, coming off a Final Four and expected to regroup reasonably well after being gifted to nepo-hire Steven Pearl. After a decent start, things fell apart for Auburn, losers of eight of their last ten regular-season games and finishing one game over .500. However, their schedule was among the toughest in the nation, giving them an argument for postseason consideration despite their mediocrity.

On Thursday, the RedHawks were upset in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals, dashing their undefeated hopes and potentially putting a wrench in their March Madness dreams.

Also on Thursday, the Tigers summed up their entire season by blowing a sizable lead and losing to Tennessee by double digits in the second round of the SEC Tournament. With a 17-16 record, you’d think they’d be out of the running, but enough complaining has given them a sliver of hope.

The disappointing day did offer up a curious possibility for both programs. Many people took to social media to suggest that the committee should pit them against one another in the First Four. Doing so would not only make the oft-uninteresting extra games compelling, but it would be a rare instance where we could settle a debate once and for all.

Who deserves it more? The mid-major that impressively ran the table all season long or the SEC school that toiled in mediocrity but played a buzzsaw schedule? Letting them go head-to-head would not only give us an answer but would likely lead to boffo ratings.

Presumably, the committee doesn’t select teams and make matchups based on TV ratings. That’s what they say, at least. But in this instance, it certainly would not hurt to maneuver this into happening. Let Bruce Pearl run wild and give everyone a chance to put the debate to bed, at least in theory.