(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Chip Kelly went from being a dominant college coach, to having immediate success in the NFL, to pissing everyone off and getting fired from both Philadelphia and San Francisco, to working at ESPN. What a journey it’s been.
After Kelly took the Eagles to the playoffs in his first season, all we heard about was how he going to revolutionize offense in the NFL. That was in 2013, but it feels like it was a million years ago. Here’s ESPN with the scoop.
“Over the last 30 years, I have experienced football from one perspective — as a coach,” Kelly said in a statement. “Working in television will allow me to see the game from a different angle; simultaneously, I’ll provide viewers an insight to the mindset of a coach and team while offering alternative views of various situations.
“Once I decided to make the move to TV, my familiarity with ESPN, combined with their high-quality production and vital role in college football, it was easily the best network suited for me.”
Kelly will primarily be part of Saturday pregame, halftime and wrap-up shows on ESPN2. He will also provide NFL analysis on Sundays during SportsCenter.
Of course, Twitter is having a field day with this news, as Kelly has become a major punching bag over the years. These are some of the best reactions that I’ve came across.
So wait.. ESPN fired a slew of journalists.. actual, experienced, respected journalists.. and hired.. Chip Kelly? pic.twitter.com/8VHwGp0KzG
— Rafter17(KevinHiatt) (@kevin_hiatt) May 26, 2017
I bet it was Chip Kelly's idea that ESPN get rid of all their talent.
— ShelterInPlacePickle (@sportspickle) May 26, 2017
Looking forward to Chip Kelly diving into college football commentary this season. pic.twitter.com/hxI7P7fLV3
— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) May 26, 2017
Former #Eagles and #49ers coach Chip Kelly signs deal with ESPN as a studio analysis pic.twitter.com/vTzTpt4UzA
— Armchair NFL (@ArmchairNFL) May 26, 2017
Chip Kelly gets hired by us at ESPN. Time in between stories will now go from: 3-mins to 45-secs. Stories per show: from 20 to 60. #pace
— Matt Barrie (@MattBarrie) May 26, 2017
Best of luck at ESPN, Chip. It’s better to burn out than to fade away.
