Greg Olsen secured his fourth straight Sports Emmy nomination as a color commentator for Fox and first since being demoted to the No. 2 team for Tom Brady. On Tuesday, the former tight end was announced as part of a shortlist that also featured Hall of Fame quarterbacks and current ESPN commentators Troy Aikman and Peyton Manning.
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There was poignance from some fans over the announcement.
"You deserve it. Should have never lost your chair to Tom," one posted.
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More reactions can be seen below.
"Don't see Brady on here. Give Greg his spot back," one demanded.
"They gotta put you back on the A-Team. Brady is 🤮," another begged.
"Greg Olsen has proved he’s worth WAY more than Fox’s b-team," another insisted.
Olsen, who has two years remaining on his Fox deal, has won a Sports Emmy before, doing so in 2024 for his work in 2023, which was his last year as lead analyst.
When Greg Olsen pondered Fox future amid disappointment at being demoted from No. 1 team
Contrary to popular belief, Greg Olsen had been dabbling in commentary before his retirement. Toward the final years of his playing career, he would join the booth during bye weeks – with restrictions similar to what Tom Brady is currently under, thanks to his minority ownership of the Las Vegas Raiders.
That dabbling paid off in 2022, when he and Kevin Burkhardt were promoted to Fox's No. 1 team after Joe Buck and Troy Aikman left for ESPN. His style of commentary drew immediate praise from fans, and it climaxed with Super Bowl LVII.
But, of course, Brady soon joined for 2024 on a record-breaking, decade-long, $375-million. Thus, he was demoted to No. 2 beside Joe Davis, meaning no Super Bowl LIX coverage for him. And speaking to the Charlotte Observer late in July, Olsen said the situation "sucks" and that he still yearned to call "big-time" games like the Super Bowl:
“It’s pretty clear that the path, the upward trajectory as far as Fox goes, probably is a nonfactor. ... I don’t know what the future holds. I enjoy working at Fox. Fox has been very good to me. They know. I’ve been very honest with them that I’m not content just calling one o’clock regional games for the rest of my career.”
He would soon gain a supporter in CBS's former lead NFL analyst (and former New York Giants quarterback) Phil Simms, who told Awful Announcing's Brandon Coates:
“Good for him; I don’t blame him at all. I’m on his side. Would I have done that? I’d never have the courage to do that. … Problem is, there’s just not many of those spots out there to get. The people that get them want to hold them forever.”
A recent fan suggestion has been to move Brady to Fox's Sunday pregame coverage to replace the recently-retired Jimmy Johnson, allowing Olsen to rejoin Burkhardt on the No. 1 booth.
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