Hartong, Whitworth, Talib join “Thursday Night Football”

Jul 21, 2022, 8:47 AM | Updated: 9:34 am

Can go at 11:45 a.m. ET

Prime Video’s crew for “Thursday Night Football” is nearly set, less than two months before its first regular-season game.

Kaylee Hartung has been hired by Amazon as the sideline reporter while Andrew Whitworth and Aqib Talib have signed on as contributors for pregame, halftime and postgame coverage.

Prime Video’s regular-season debut as the exclusive home of the primetime package comes on Sept. 15 when Kansas City hosts the Los Angeles Chargers.

“It has been an amazing opportunity to start from scratch, to really bring some new perspective,” said Marie Donoghue, Amazon’s vice president of Global Sports Video. “We’ve got great veterans who are at the top of their profession while at the same time, bringing incredible personalities who have recently left the game. So that’ll bring unique current input.”

Hartung returns to sports after five years with ABC News and CNN. She previously was a sideline reporter for ESPN, primarily for SEC football and college basketball.

In a phone interview, Hartung said she didn’t leave sports five years ago, but moved on to become a more versatile reporter.

“The range of opportunities has been cool, and I think it just helped better prepare me for this next step,” she said. “This is the next great opportunity for me to tell great stories. The storytelling, whether it’s news or sports, it’s the same craft. And that’s what has been so exciting about this opportunity, because it is the biggest story in sports, and we’re talking about the NFL and a primetime game that’s going to have so many eyes on it.”

Hartung will be paired with play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and analyst Kirk Herbstreit for the game coverage. Hartung and Herbstreit did a few events together for ESPN, but were never part of the same weekly crew until now on Prime Video.

While Herbstreit will continue with college football for ESPN, Hartung’s final day at ABC News was last Friday.

“I’ve heard the excitement from both of them about being a part of building something new. And I think for us, to get to do that together will be a bonding experience, for sure,” said Hartung of Michaels and Herbstreit. “Just getting to learn from them, the ways in which they go about doing their jobs and handling their business, it’s an incredible learning opportunity for me.”

Whitworth, who capped a 16-year NFL career by helping to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl championship, joins Ryan Fitzpatrick and Richard Sherman as part of a studio crew who played last season. The former offensive tackle and Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year recipient received plenty of interest from networks before deciding on Prime Video.

“I was really excited when I got a chance to kind of get a little bit of a vision of what they want to do — to be a little innovative and change it up and create a new and exciting experience. It was right there with who I am in creating a culture and an atmosphere and really an experience,” Whitworth said.

Talib played 12 years in the NFL — including winning a Super Bowl title with Denver — before retiring after the 2019 season. He had done some NFL games for Fox the past two seasons.

It was announced earlier that Charissa Thompson and Tony Gonzalez also will be on pregame, halftime and postgame coverage.

Donoghue said plans are still being finalized for some of the alternative feeds that will be available during the games. Prime Video will have a few practice games before carrying the preseason game between the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans on Aug. 25.

___

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://apnews.com/hub/pro-32 and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

FILE - Police officers stand outside a Target store as a group of people protest across the street,...

Associated Press

Pride becomes a minefield for big companies, but many continue their support

Many big companies, including Target and Bud Light's parent, are still backing Pride events in June despite the minefield that the monthlong celebration has become for some of them.

2 days ago

FILE - Then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden plays music on a phone as he arrives to spe...

Associated Press

Biden, looking to shore up Hispanic support, faces pressure to get 2024 outreach details right

Joe Biden vowed in 2020 to work “like the devil” to energize Hispanic voters, and flew to Florida seven weeks before Election Day to do just that.

2 days ago

Editorial members of the Austin American-Statesman's Austin NewsGuild picket along the Congress Ave...

Associated Press

Correction: US-Gannett Walkout story

Journalists at two dozen local newspapers across the U.S. walked off the job Monday to demand an end to painful cost-cutting measures and a change of leadership at Gannett, the country's biggest newspaper chain.

2 days ago

FILE - The logo of the Organization of the Petroleoum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is seen outside of...

Associated Press

Saudi Arabia reducing global oil supply, could spell higher prices for US drivers

Saudi Arabia will reduce how much oil it sends to the global economy, taking a unilateral step to prop up the sagging price of crude.

3 days ago

This photo provided by Robert Wilkes, owner of a house boat management company, shows smoke rising ...

Associated Press

Houseboats catch fire while docked at Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell

More than half a dozen house boats momentarily caught fire at a popular boating destination on the Utah-Arizona line on Friday.

5 days ago

File - Women work in a restaurant kitchen in Chicago, Thursday, March 23, 2023. On Friday, the U.S....

Associated Press

US hiring, unemployment jump in May and what that says about the economy

The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations.

5 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Here are the biggest tips to keep your AC bill low this summer

PHOENIX — In Arizona during the summer, having a working air conditioning unit is not just a pleasure, but a necessity. No one wants to walk from their sweltering car just to continue to be hot in their home. As the triple digits hit around the Valley and are here to stay, your AC bill […]

...

re:vitalize

Why drug-free weight loss still matters

Wanting to lose weight is a common goal for many people as they progress throughout life, but choosing between a holistic approach or to take medicine can be a tough decision.

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...

Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.

Hartong, Whitworth, Talib join “Thursday Night Football”