Longtime ESPN announcer Steve Levy has been pushed aside in the Monday Night Football booth, but he appears to have a good sense of humor about it.
The veteran broadcaster is giving way to former FOX play-by-play man Joe Buck, whose hiring along with analyst Troy Aikman, also previously of FOX, was made official by the Worldwide Leader on Wednesday.
Levy seems to harbor no ill will over the apparent demotion, though, taking to social media to welcome Buck with some good-natured "new guy" ribbing.
In a Wednesday tweet, Levy published a photo of Buck's autobiography "Lucky Bastard," captioning his post "Yeah, you are @Buck - that you get to work with an amazing MNF crew. Looking forward to seeing you i the cafeteria in Bristol. You're buying ..."
An appreciative Buck later responded:
"This is the other side of it. I thank you for your friendship and grace with this Steve. Excited to join YOUR network. Please sit next to me in the cafeteria- I don’t know many people there yet"
Levy's exit comes after two years in the booth, alongside analysts Louis Riddick and Brian Griese, who was recently hired as a quarterbacks coach with the San Francisco 49ers.
The upcoming season will mark Buck and Aikman's 21st consecutive season together, after two decades in the FOX booth, according to an ESPN press release. Longtime sideline reporter Lisa Salters was set to return for an 11th season, the announcement said.
Aikman's defection to the ESPN was widely reported late last month, after he'd previously admitted it appeared FOX was no longer interested in retaining his services. It was initially unclear who would join him as lead announcer, but rumors of his reunion with Buck began to intensify soon after.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram