Monday Night Football play-by-play voice Steve Levy has had a hectic week. First, he called the thrilling Ravens-Browns contest on Monday and now he has to deal with the news one of the MNF rookie analysts, Louis Riddick, could vacate the booth.
Levy did an interview with Front Office Sports and in it he flat-out says Riddick, who is interviewing with multiple teams, is gone if the right GM opportunity arises.
SL: … Louis loves talking ball. That’s what he’s about. That’s what he’s meant to do. Nobody enjoys those production meetings more than Louis Riddick. And he would go on and on. If we let him, if we didn’t say, ‘Hey, we gotta wrap this up at some point.’ Or the players and teams didn’t say, ‘Hey, you know, coach has a time limit,’ Louis would go on and on. He loves talking about it. He watches so much film. He’s obviously super bright. Listen, I hope he gets whatever he wants.
I know he loves the ‘Monday Night Football’ gig too. I get the sense that for the right GM gig, he’d be gone. Because I think that’s something really super-special. But we’ll see how it plays out. I wish him the best. He’s been a great partner. Again, he’s so bright, he’s going to improve any NFL team quickly I think.
Levy understands the history that comes with his current role.
OS: How does it feel to follow MNF legends like Mike Tirico, Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell?
SL: That’s not lost on me. I respect history and it’s so far-fetched to think, as a kid, you could get this job. What I mean by that is there’s only one seat, right? … There is one play-by-play seat for “Monday Night Football.” That’s what makes you think it’s so far out of the realm of possibility. And yet that was my dream job.
Levy added he would love to be considered for NFL Draft coverage. There is an opening as Trey Wingo is no longer with ESPN.
SL: I would certainly be interested. But I’ll be honest, Mike, I have not heard that from anyone inside the building. It’s kind of how I feel about the “Monday Night Football” conversation. I was sort of in the mix, four or five years ago, my name was brought up. I’m happy to be in that conversation. It’s quite an honor and a thrill to even be mentioned as a possibility.
If that’s the case, I would certainly love to be part of our Draft coverage. The NFL is so smart taking that on the road. When they did that draft in Philadelphia … Las Vegas would have been spectacular. Cleveland will be great [in 2021].
