FOX NFL Sunday Broadcast Addressed The Sudden Absence of Terry Bradshaw’s Co-Star

October 11, 2026, 6:26pm EST 111 • By Darrelle Lincoln

When turning on Fox NFL Sunday today, there was a notable absence on set that had fans worried.

Click for sound 0:00 / 0:00 Howie Long was unexpectedly missing from today’s Week 5 show. Long has been a permanent, defining pillar of FOX NFL Sunday since the show launched in 1994. The Hall of Fame defensive lineman joined the network immediately after retiring from the Los Angeles Raiders.

Alongside host Curt Menefee, he anchors the flagship pregame desk with Terry Bradshaw and Michael Strahan. So, why was he missing today?

The remaining members of the FOX NFL Sunday crew addressed Howie Long’s sudden absence right at the top of the program. They explicitly revealed to home viewers that the Pro Football Hall of Famer is currently feeling under the weather. Consequently, network executives decided it was best for Long to remain resting at home to recover fully.

Co-stars Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan, and Rob Gronkowski carried on with the flagship show alongside host Curt Menefee. The typical on-air football banter continued as planned, though fans sorely missed Long’s classic defensive analysis.

Before his NFL on Fox tenure, Howie Long had a legendary NFL career. The iconic defensive lineman played his entire illustrious 13-year professional career for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders.

Long racked up an incredible 84.0 official career sacks while terrorizing opposing quarterbacks from 1981 through 1993. He achieved a spectacular career-high by recording 13.0 sacks during the dominant 1983 regular season. Additionally, he anchored a fierce defensive front to help lead the Raiders to a dominant victory in Super Bowl XVIII.

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Howie Long earned selection to eight Pro Bowls and received first-team All-Pro honors twice. He was also officially named the 1985 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.