Eli Gold isn’t done with broadcasting yet.
After news of his departure from the University of Alabama football radio broadcasts broke, the legendary veteran of the airwaves spoke to AL.com about the change.
Gold, 70, had been the voice of the Crimson Tide for 35 years. He returned to partial duty calling home games and the Iron Bowl last season after missing all of 2022 fighting cancer.
“Well, the university has chosen not to bring me back,” Gold said. “This is not, with a capital N-O-T, not at all health-related. I am very healthy. Everything is wonderful. I am healthy as a horse.”
Gold, who also hosted Nick Saban’s weekly “Hey Coach!” radio show, said he would be announcing his next move this week “in what I hope will be a number of jobs.”
“I am not retiring,” Gold said. “The university has chosen, as they say, to go in a different direction. And that’s certainly their right.”
The Brooklyn native who began his work at Alabama in 1988 plans to remain living in the Birmingham area as he fields offers for the next phase of his career.
His contract expires in June.
The school on Wednesday announced Chris Stewart, a member of the broadcast network since 1998 and voice of Alabama men’s basketball, will take over both of Gold’s roles moving forward.
“I was originally told that I was going to do A-Day and they have now reconsidered on that,” Gold said, “and they’re just going to make a clean break. But they will honor their contract through the end of June.”
This post will be updated.
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.
