Report: Simms Got Bad News From His Son

Phil Simms

CBS reportedly blindsided Phil Simms so badly with his demotion this week that Simms found out first from his son, before hearing from the network itself, according to The NY Daily News.

And Chris Simms said on Bleacher Report’s Simms & Lefkoe Podcast that this is probably what “disappointed” his father most: The manner in which he was kept in the dark about Tony Romo’s hiring to replace him in CBS’s No. 1 NFL analyst seat alongside Jim Nantz.

“I had to tell my dad first, before CBS or anybody, because I found out from an NFL insider,” Chris Simms said. “I forwarded the text message that I was sent and it basically said, ‘Hey, listen, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Romo’s being offered your dad’s job on CBS, that sucks, I’m sorry.' And my dad was in Barbados, and I had to forward the text message to him to let him know.

“I think if there’s anything he’s probably a little disappointed (about),” Simms continued, “is in that in general, just that I don’t think he feels like they talked to him right away (or) at least warned him to let him know that this was happening. That’s just not what you do to a good, hard-working employee that’s been for 20 years been kind of the face of your football station. I think from that it probably does hurt.”

Said a CBS spokesman, "Both Phil and his agent knew in advance of the announcement and CBS had been in regular communication with his agent prior to that."