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<\/p>\nNBC interrupted its NBA Playoffs coverage between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics to announce former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin joining Football Night in America<\/p>\n
23:15 ET, 26 Apr 2026Updated 23:15 ET, 26 Apr 2026<\/p>\n
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An NBC Football Night in America announcement was made during the middle of the NBA Playoffs<\/p>\n
The NBA Playoffs usually spotlight the league\u2019s most elite athletes playing high-stakes basketball, but NBC decided a breaking football story was big enough to interrupt postseason coverage.<\/p>\n
NBC\/Peacock<\/a> didn\u2019t wait for a commercial break and, in the middle of Game 4 between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, carved out a portion of NBA Showtime on Peacock to announce former Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> head coach Mike Tomlin as the network’s newest on-air talent. It came after ABC abruptly cut its playoff coverage for a special report on a shocking event.<\/a><\/p>\n Maria Taylor’s basketball breakdown quickly turned into a full-on interview after she introduced Tomlin as the newest addition to Football Night in America. The program debuted in 2006 and features Taylor alongside Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, Jason Garrett, Chris Simms, and Devin McCourty. Another analyst on NBC is set to lose his job after Tomlin’s arrival.<\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE: LeBron James glued to TV watching American star win third major of career<\/a>READ MORE: Diego Pavia suffers humiliating fate after throwing NFL Draft party<\/a><\/p>\n Taylor also revealed that the show will evolve into a traveling production every week throughout the season. Tomlin made it clear he\u2019s embracing the career change after spending the last 19 NFL seasons in Pittsburgh<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Hey, I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to learning from you,” he said to Taylor. When asked about the timing of his decision, Tomlin hinted that he hadn’t approached it without extensive thought.<\/p>\n “You know, it’s probably not an overnight decision, but it’s probably not something that I could articulate or share with people. It just there’s a loneliness with leadership. I just thought it was a good time for me personally,” he said.<\/p>\n Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n Tomlin added that the Steelers\u2019 recent playoff struggles<\/a> and the presence of veteran leaders made the transition feel right for both sides.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh has crashed out in the Wild Card round in five of the last six seasons \u2013 and in the other (2022), they didn\u2019t make the playoffs at all.<\/p>\n “I just thought it’d be a great way to stay connected to the game and the awesome people in it,” he continued. “Players, coaches, executives, and excited about doing that on Sunday night and traveling to different venues and getting that feel for the environment.”<\/p>\n Mike Tomlin’s NBC NFL role eclipsed the NBA Playoffs<\/p>\n Football Night in America, set to become a weekly road show, will bring the broadcast closer to stadium atmospheres across the league. The move follows a proven format, similar to ESPN’s College GameDay<\/a> and FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff.<\/p>\n Tomlin even explained how different life already feels away from the sideline and admitted he watched his former team draft offensive tackle Max Iheanachor in Round 1 of the NFL Draft from a cigar bar for the first time in ages.<\/p>\n![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0_Screenshot-2026-04-26-at-103049-PM.png\")
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