Crimson Tide Sports Network issues statement on Eli Gold's departure
The Crimson Tide Sports Network announced on Wednesday that longtime broadcaster Eli Gold would be departing from his role as play-by-play announcer for Alabama football and that Chris Stewart would be replacing him in the booth beginning with the A-Day Game.
Following comments made by Gold, that he wasn’t “living up to” the standard in his return to the press box, CTSN and Learfield issued a statement Thursday afternoon on the decision.
“As we noted in yesterday’s release, Eli Gold has been a legendary broadcaster in a career spanning 52 years,” the statement read. “In 2023, we worked out a plan to have Eli call the home games plus Auburn, with Chris Stewart handling away games. We are incredibly appreciative of the positive things Eli has contributed to the Crimson Tide Sports Network and The University of Alabama during his time with us, which is why our desire was for him to remain part of the gameday broadcast and allow us to celebrate his UA broadcast career.
“But at this point, the interests of UA and CTSN are best served by Chris Stewart handling play-by-play for all games. After a series of conversations over a period of time, Eli was presented with an opportunity to continue his contributions to the CTSN broadcast team in the coming years in a more limited role, including the lead broadcast role for this year’s A-Day game. Unfortunately, he declined the opportunity.
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“We will always appreciate Eli and wish him nothing but the best in his next endeavors. We are incredibly excited about the future of CTSN and what Chris Stewart will bring to the broadcasts in his new role.”
Throughout his career as the voice of the Crimson Tide, Gold called the action for seven national championship games, 11 SEC championships and 35 bowl games. He has been recognized nationally as the recipient of the 2019 NFF Chris Schenkel Award and College Football Hall of Fame, which is presented annually to individuals who have had long, distinguished careers broadcasting college football with direct ties to a specific university.
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