A report from the New York Post indicates that Michelle Tafoya will leave sideline reporting after the NFL season. That means there will be a gap to fill on NBC’s Sunday Night Football coverage. While no replacement for Tafoya officially has been named, many signs point to recent fill-in Kathryn Tappen, the network’s sideline reporter for its Notre Dame coverage since 2014. That’s longer than anyone else currently on that broadcast team.
Just as the Irish are going through a coaching transition, this also could be a time of transition for their home TV partner. Mike Tirico is expected to replace Al Michaels as the Sunday Night Football play-by-play announcer next season. It certainly would be a heavy load to expect Tirico to handle both gigs at once. It already is a lot doing both the Irish and “Football Night in America” on the same weekend.
The times are changing indeed, and it’s happening in many ways.