It’s been nearly one year since NBC Sports first aired Mike Tirico’s interview with Michael Jordan.

Yet despite the conversation having faced criticism from some viewers who believed NBC Sports had oversold Jordan’s role as a “special contributor” in the network’s return as an NBA rights holder, Tirico is quick to point out that it remains relevant today.

“I love the fact that we did one interview—and you can say what you want about it airing once or being spread out over our series of pregame shows during the year—it’s a year later and people are still talking about it,” Tirico told Ryan Glasspiegel onstage at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit Tuesday. “And people are still asking about it. Which, to me, is all the reason that it was completely worth it.”

As Tirico noted, Jordan’s contributions to NBC’s coverage consisted of a single interview, which was then spliced into multiple segments that aired throughout the season. The conversation didn’t focus on the NBA’s daily news or specific current players, but rather general topics such as load management and his personal passion for basketball.

For those who were eager to hear Jordan weigh in on players like LeBron James or stories like the Clippers–Kawhi Leonard Aspiration scandal, the interviews were underwhelming. Tirico, however, stands by the segments, which he believes were authentic to Jordan’s personality.

“I think Michael Jordan hadn’t been on TV for a long time for a reason,” Tirico told Glasspiegel. “He likes being Michael Jordan. Even still, when he’s on camera, there’s an aura about Michael Jordan that is just different. Sitting across from him. It’s just a different feel. I think he is above the daily discourse of, ‘Hey, who is the best point guard in the NBA right now?’ and ‘who’s the best this or the best that?’”

Earlier this year, FOS reported Jordan isn’t expected to return to NBC’s coverage for the upcoming NBA season. Still, Tirico would welcome another segment with the six-time NBA champion, regardless of the subjects covered.

“I will say that it was damn cool to hang with MJ and talk basketball, and talk business and golf and all that other stuff,” Tirico said. “If he wanted to be—we would all run to have him on every single day. But that’s just not what he wants to do, I think, at this point in his career and life.”

New ESPN EVP Mike Foss defended Pat McAfee’s ever-growing role at the network, calling McAfee a “generational” talent.

“It’s funny, I think he might be a journalist at heart,” Foss said while speaking at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit in New York. “I think what you find as he puts the show together each day and something piques his interest, he’s got the Rolodex, so he … has built access that a lot of people don’t have the ability to do.”

Asked what he would say to critics of McAfee’s College GameDay antics, Foss was blunt. “Absolutely nothing,” Foss told FOS’s Michael McCarthy.

Foss joined ESPN in 2017 as an SVP after spending time at Fox Sports and USA Today. This May, he was promoted to the title of EVP, Executive Editor, Sports News and Entertainment, succeeding the retiring Dave Roberts. 

Foss also commented on the return of McAfee’s popular field-goal-kicking contest in which fans have the opportunity to earn $1 million by making a 33-yard field goal live on College GameDay. McAfee had cast some doubt on whether the contest would return this season, but Foss said he didn’t believe it was ever at risk.

“I don’t know if he was ever undecided; I think he might’ve done a little theater,” Foss said. “Especially given how much he’s donated this year, I don’t think you give away $12 million just on a whim.”

McAfee joined College GameDay as a full-time analyst in 2022 after his podcast, The Pat McAfee Show, exploded in popularity. ESPN began licensing The Pat McAfee Show in 2023, though McAfee still owns the intellectual property.

College GameDay has broken its own viewership records multiple times in recent years. It is currently averaging 2.8 million viewers at the midpoint of the 2026 college football season, putting this year on track to be the most-watched in the show’s history.

On Tuesday, McAfee poured cold water on McCarthy’s recent opinion column suggesting he could soon land on the Monday Night Football broadcast, tweeting, “This isn’t real. There’s been zero conversation about this.”

Asked whether he could envision McAfee commentating on MNF games, Foss stressed the job was not currently available due to Joe Buck and Troy Aikman’s presence in the booth, but added that McAfee’s upcoming Super Bowl alt-cast was evidence of his growing star power. 

“Pat can do whatever he wants,” Foss said. “If Pat wants to call football games full-time, that’s a decision that he’s gonna make, and I would never bet against him.”