ESPN; G. Newman Lowrance/Getty ImagesThe Tony Kornheiser era is already over thanks to the one thing he couldn't get his mind around—his fear of flying.
ESPN announced Monday that the esoterica-spewing sports analyst will not be returning to Monday Night Football this season after spending three years in the booth alongside Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann (2006) and Ron Jaworski (2007-08).
Joining Jaworski and play-by-play guy Tirico will be Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden, who was fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January.
"I am totally grateful for the MNF opportunity that I truly enjoyed the last three seasons," Kornheiser said in a statement. "I feel we got better each year. My fear of planes is legendary and sadly true. When I looked at the upcoming schedule it was the perfect storm that would've frequently moved me from the bus to the air. I kept looking at the schedule the past month and wanted to find a way to quietly extricate myself."
The 40th season of MNF kicks off Sept. 14 with a doubleheader featuring New England vs. Buffalo and San Diego vs. Oakland. Gruden, who of course is totally psyched by this "tremendous opportunity," was the Raiders' coach from 1998 to 2001.