(AP) – Maria Taylor has actually signed up with NBC less than a week after her contract with ESPN ended.
NBC officially made the announcement during its primetime Olympic reveal Friday before a replay of the opening ceremony.ESPN as well as Taylor
announced Wednesday that they can not settle on a brand-new contract. Her initial project for NBC will be the Tokyo Olympics, where she will sign up with Mike Tirico throughout the every night 2 1/2 to 3 hours of “Prime Plus” coverage as well as serve as a correspondent.NBC also stated that Taylor
will be a host and contributor for “Football Evening in America “on Sundays throughout NFL period and also will host the network’s protection of this period’s Super Dish.” Maria has actually mastered a vast array
of roles at marquee events, and also will be a powerful enhancement to our group. We are always aiming to enhance, as well as Maria is mosting likely to make us much better. We are very thrilled for her to join us right away in Tokyo,”NBC Sports chairman Pete Bevacqua said in a statement.Taylor had actually been with ESPN because 2014 however her contract ended Tuesday.
Her last project for the network was Tuesday evening at the NBA Finals, where she was the pregame and postgame host for the network’s”NBA Countdown”show. Taylor had hosted” NBA Countdown “since 2019 along with being a press reporter for” College GameDay “as well as ABC” Saturday Night Football “considering that 2017. Taylor said in a declaration: “Literally, hosting the Olympics, Football Evening in America, and also the Super Dish is what I fantasized of when I started in tv– as well as this would not be possible without depending on the shoulders of every one of those who came prior to me as well as made this path feasible. And I intend to pay it forward.”ESPN had been reviewing a contract with Taylor for over a year yet things got to a boiling factor over the past month. Taylor declined an expansion in 2015 and also the 2 sides were far apart heading right into the NBA Finals. Came a record from The New York Times describing remarks coworker Rachel Nichols made concerning Taylor last year throughout the NBA’s reboot in Florida.Nichols, that is white, was introduced in September 2019 as the NBA Finals host however the network later decided to advertise Taylor, who is Black.Nichols stated in a mistakenly recorded phone telephone call gotten by the Times:” I desire Maria Taylor all the success in the world– she covers football, she covers basketball. If you require to offer her even more things to do since you are really feeling pressure regarding your bad longtime record on diversity– which, by the way, I know directly from the women side of it– like, go for it. Just locate it elsewhere. You are not mosting likely to locate it from me or taking my thing away.” Nichols said sorry July 5 while organizing”The Dive.”She was slated to be the sideline reporter for the Finals, yet was managed the assignment. ___ More AP sports: as well as Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights booked.