A post-football career in television didn’t really work out for Tiki Barber, but his identical twin brother is betting that it wasn’t Tiki’s physical appearance that accounted for his false start as a broadcaster.
Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune reports that Ronde Barber, who recently announced his retirement after 16 years as a defensive back with the Buccaneers, will be taking a job with FOX Sports. Mark Lepselter, who represents both Barber brothers, told Cummings that Ronde Barber will be taking a “hybrid role” that is expected to include game and studio work with FOX’s forthcoming FOX Sports 1 cable channel.
Tiki Barber seemed like a natural choice to make the move from the field to the broadcast booth after his career came to an end, but there wasn’t the same assumption about how Ronde would spend his hours after the end of his playing days. He should have plenty of insight into the game, but that doesn’t always translate into a compelling presence on television.
FOX is planning a daily roundtable show featuring Regis Philbin as part of its offerings when it launches this summer. We’ll find out then if the longtime Buc is part of the cast for that show or if there are other plans in mind for the second Barber brother to slide behind a microphone.