The decision to oust Phil Simms as the No. 1 NFL analyst on CBS and replace him with Tony Romo was done with the approval of play-by-play man Jim Nantz, according to Simms’ son.
Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms said on his podcast that Nantz played a part in the move.
“Listen, I think that certainly a company like CBS, they’re going to run this by Jim Nantz,” Chris Simms said. “If I’m going to sit here and be honest with you, yeah, that’s what I would envision happens. Jim Nantz is their guy. ‘Hello, friends.’ He’s kind of the face and voice of the network. He’s a bigger linchpin than Phil Simms for that network, that’s for sure. So I would think in some degree or fashion, I’m not trying to throw Jim under the bus, but yeah, I think he signed off on this.”
Chris Simms also chuckled while his podcast partner, Adam Lefkoe, denigrated Nantz as an announcer, and Simms also said he thinks Nantz is more suited to calling golf and college basketball than to football. (Although Chris Simms added that he likes Nantz personally.) And Chris Simms said he didn’t have much respect for the way CBS handled the transition from Phil to Romo, saying that Phil deserved for CBS executives to be upfront with him, and they weren’t.
“I had to tell my dad first, before CBS or anybody, because I found out from an NFL insider,” Chris Simms said. “I don’t think he feels like they talked to him right away, at least warned him to let him know what was happening. I mean, that’s just not what you do to a good, hard-working employee for 20 years.”
Chris Simms has called some games for CBS in the past, but it’s hard to imagine that he’ll be back on CBS given those comments. And those comments may make it harder for Phil Simms to return to CBS in any capacity.