Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL Debuts Tuesday, Sept. 2 on ESPN2

contact: kimberly.jessup@espn.com

ESPN will debut a one-hour, inside access program, Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL, Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and in high definition on ESPN2 HD. The NFL Films-produced special will document the experiences of five NFL rookies -- Darren McFadden (Oakland Raiders), Glenn Dorsey (Kansas City Chiefs), Rashard Mendenhall (Pittsburgh Steelers), Aqib Talib (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Caleb Campbell (Detroit Lions) -- from the NFL Draft through the final days of preseason.  As the players prepare to make their NFL debut, the show will highlight the players competing for their jobs in training camp, learning new offensive/defensive schemes and familiarizing themselves with their new cities.  

View Clip of Upcoming ESPN2 Documentary Kicking It

contact: alison.lazar@espn.com

ESPN Films’ 2008 Sundance acquisition Kicking It (Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 9 p.m. on ESPN2), chronicles the personal struggles and triumphs of seven soccer players from six countries (Afghanistan, Ireland, Kenya, Russia, Spain and the United States) who participated in the fourth annual Homeless World Cup.  Produced by award-winning filmmakers Ted Leonsis (The Rape of Nanking) and Susan Koch (Mario's Story, City at Peace), with narration by soccer enthusiast and actor Colin Farrell, the two-hour film follows these players as they train hard, kick drugs and alcohol, and compete on the soccer pitch in Cape Town, South Africa.  Select clips of the film are posted at http://espnmediazone.com; for photos click here.  Review screeners are available now for interested media members.

Outside the Lines: Ryan Perrilloux Talks about his Dismissal from LSU

contact: dan.quinn@espn.com

Sunday’s Outside the Lines (9:30 p.m. ET ESPN, noon ESPNEWS) will feature quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, in his first national television interview, talking about his dismissal from the LSU football team.  Perrilloux tells reporter Darren Lyn about his time at LSU, including each issue he had with the law and coaching staff. Perrilloux also talks about his new school, Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Ala., while his new coach Jack Crowe explains how Ryan has changed.  Excerpts:

“I felt like (LSU) coach (Les) Miles would have never dismissed me – that’s why I was doing what I was doing, that’s why I felt like I can do what I was doing. And then when he finally dismissed me, I realized I am not invincible at all. And the suspensions, I kind of always knew I was coming back, I kind of always knew. But when he finally dismissed me and released me for good, that’s when I really realized that maybe it’s not LSU, maybe it’s Ryan Perrilloux.” – Ryan Perrilloux, on his problems at LSU

High School Football: Three Games Labor Day Weekend on ESPN and ESPNU

contact: tilea.coleman@espn.com

ESPNU and ESPN will televise three high school football games featuring schools from Georgia, Missouri, Florida and Ohio, including: Mays (Ga.) vs. Carver (Ga.) Friday, Aug. 29, at 8 p.m. on ESPNU and Kansas City, Mo., area schools No. 13 Rockhurst vs. Blue Springs Sunday, Aug. 31, at noon. on ESPN.  On Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 1), No. 4 St. Thomas (Fla.) will play Elder (Ohio) on ESPN as part of the 2008 Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge.  Three of the schools feature players ranked in the ESPNU 150 player rankings: No.38 Darren Myles, WR (Carver), No. 63 Jarvis Jones, OLB (Carver), No. 115 Blaine Dalton, QB (Blue Springs) and No. 148 Duron Carter, WR (St. Thomas).

Hampton University Battles Jackson State University in Fourth Annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge on ESPN2

contact: tilea.coleman@espn.com

Each year, the MEAC-SWAC Challenge pits a MEAC team against a SWAC member at a neutral site located within the footprint of one of the conferences.  The annual ESPN Regional Television (ERT) owned-and-operated event will feature the MEAC’s Hampton University against the SWAC’s Jackson State University  Sunday, Aug. 31, at 2 p.m. on ESPN2 from Orlando’s Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium.  Charlie Neal (play-by-play), Jay Walker (analyst) and Quint Kessenich (sideline reporter) will call the action on the field.  For more information, please visit www.meacswacchallenge.com.

ESPNRISE.com Initiates “The Great State Debate”

contact: crystal.howard@espn.com

Earlier this week ESPN launched ESPNRISE.com, the news, information and community resource for high school athletes, and posed a simple question, “What state has the best high school football?” to initiate “The Great State Debate.”  ESPN RISE's editors launched “The Great State Debate” by narrowing the field to eight teams, based on a number of criteria, including the number of NFL players the state has produced and how its teams have fared in the national rankings. Making “The Great State Debate” Elite Eight are - No. 1 Texas, No. 2 Florida, No. 3 California, No. 4 Ohio, No. 5 Pennsylvania, No. 6 Georgia, No. 7 Louisiana, No. 8 Virginia.  Beginning Monday, Sept. 1 and continuing through Wednesday, Oct. 15 when the winner is revealed, fans can join “The Great State Debate” by voting, sounding off on conversation pages and posting blogs at ESPNRISE.com.

WNBA: Action Returns after Olympic Break

contact: kim.jarvis@espn.com

Connecticut Sun head coach Mike Thibault was an assistant coach of the gold medal winning U.S.A. Women’s Basketball Team at the Summer Olympics with guard Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm.  Bird and Thibault will be on opposite sides of the court when the Storm visit the Sun Sunday, Aug. 31, at 1 p.m. on ABC.  Terry Gannon will handle play-by-play with analyst Doris Burke and sideline reporter Rebecca Lobo.  The Sun currently leads the Eastern Conference at 16-10, while the Storm (17-9) are a half game behind the San Antonio Silver Stars in the Western Conference.

Craven, Evernham, Said in NASCAR Now Monday Roundtable Discussion

contact: andy.hall@espn.com or george.mcneilly@espn.com

The Monday, Sept. 1, edition of NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information show, at 5 p.m. will include host Allen Bestwick leading a roundtable discussion of the latest NASCAR news and races. Panel members will be former NASCAR driver Ricky Craven and analysts Ray Evernham and Boris Said.

ESPN will air live coverage of Sunday’s Pepsi 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Fontana, Calif., at 7 p.m. The NASCAR Nationwide Series Camping World 300 from California will be aired Saturday, August 30, at 9:45 p.m. on ESPN2.

IndyCar Series at Detroit’s Belle Isle Circuit on ABC

contact: andy.hall@espn.com or george.mcneilly@espn.com

With only two races left in the 2008 IndyCar Series season, the series moves to the Raceway at Belle Isle in Detroit Sunday, Aug. 31, at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.  Marty Reid will be lead announcer with analysis by former IndyCar Series star Scott Goodyear.

Tuesday is World Series of Poker Night on ESPN

contact: george.mcneilly@espn.com

On Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 8 p.m., opening day main event coverage begins on ESPN with a field so big it generated a staggering prize pool of more than $64 million and a winner’s share of more than $9 Million. Some of pro poker’s biggest names will be in action including Scotty Nguyen, Gavin Smith, Erick Lindgren and Daniel Negreanu.  Nearly 7,000 players arrived at the Rio in Las Vegas to play in the 2008 The World Series of Poker presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light – but only nine will return to a seat at the final table in November.  Visit http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/poker/wsop for the latest news, features and highlights from poker’s greatest event.

ESPN2 Friday Night Fights: 2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist Deontay Wilder Guest Analyst

contact: doug.grassian@espn.com

ESPN2 Friday Night Fights will feature Olympic medalist Deontay Wilder, who earned the bronze at the 2008 Olympics earlier this month in the heavyweight division, as a guest analyst.  Wilder earned the only medal in boxing for the United States at the 2008 Games and will offer insight and analysis on the scheduled bouts, joining Brian Kenny and Teddy Atlas.  The telecast will begin, at 9 p.m. and includes a 12-round cruiserweight bout pitting Matt Godfrey of Providence, R.I., (16-1, 9 KOs) against Emmanuel Nwodo (21-4, 17 KOs).

ESPN Releases Hellfighters on DVD

contact: crystal.howard@espn.com

Out of the 305 public high schools in New York City, 43 of them had football teams in 2003, but none were in Harlem until Doug Fergerson, a former wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, organized the Harlem Hellfighters -- a gritty, relentless team that found itself a long way from Friday night lights.  ESPN Home Entertainment, in conjunction with Genius Products, LLC, released the story of that lone Harlem-based football team - Hellfighters - on DVD (available nationwide, $19.95 SRP).

Third Stop on Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup Hits Louisiana Wetlands

contact: doug.grassian@espn.com

Deep in the marshes of Hopendale, La., the best redfish anglers in the world will square off on the third stop of the Oh Boy! Oberto Redfish Cup Saturday, Aug. 30, at 8:30 a.m. on ESPN2.  The top five teams, advanced from a field of 50, will battle for the championship and the $50,000 top prize.

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