The 40-year marriage between Bob Costas and NBC Sports was about as good as it gets. Costas elevated the airwaves. Erudite and eloquent, he was a thinking man for the thoughtful fan. Everything was contextual. He understood our national obsession could be an ugly beast. He knew how to put sports in its place.
It’s what ended the marriage.
“You’ve crossed the line,” is what his company told him.
He had a conscience, and gave it voice. On his “misgivings about football.” On the sport being “unacceptably brutal.” About how it “destroys” some players’ brains.
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This might be a good spot to mention NBC Sports has a $9 billion contract with the NFL, and that a continued good partnership is far more essential to the network than it is to the league.