Get ready to hear a lot more from NFL coaches during the 2024 game.
The 2,506-page Sunday Ticket court record includes: Pro Football Talk Discover NFL coaches will be required to give interviews during games, something that hasn’t happened in years past.
Previously, coaches could choose to talk to sideline reporters as they entered the locker room at halftime or emerged after the break, but it was never required.
That now appears to be changing, NFL vice president of broadcast rights, policy and compliance Cathy Yancey testified.
“This year we have a new policy in place that requires all clubs to have their head coach available for live interviews during the game,” Yancey told Pro Football Talk. “Each team must have one head coach available – one for the first half and one for the second half. This applies to all teams and is available to all TV partners.”
The reason for the change was quite simple.
“It’s good for the broadcast and it’s good for the fans,” Yancey argued.
“The fans want to be closer to the game and they want to get to know the players and the coaches. It’s really important that the fans have that relationship and they want to hear from the players and the coaches,” she testified. “It sounds really good. It’s great whether you’re a football fan or a casual fan to be able to hear the coaches. It’s full of emotion.”
How open the coaches are willing to be will ultimately determine how valuable the interviews will be to television viewers.
This can make for some very entertaining television when a team is losing badly or when a coach has to talk to a reporter on the sideline right after a big play occurs.
