John Parry to become new ESPN rules analyst

Referee John Parry, who retired from the NFL on Monday, will be ESPN’s new rules analyst on Monday Night Football. The network has cut ties with former NFL referee Jeff Triplette.

Parry will be replacing Triplette, who only served as the officiating expert on the MNF broadcast team for one season. Triplette was mostly silent when called upon during broadcasts, and only came on air to explain something that was too complex for a simple thumbs up or thumbs down.

As an on-field official, Parry worked 13 postseason games, including 2 Wild Card Playoffs, 7 Divisional Playoffs, 1 Conference Championship, and Super Bowls XLI, XLVI and LIII. He is the fourth referee to retire after working the Super Bowl, joining Norm Schachter, Jerry Seeman, and Gene Steratore.

Parry is an independent financial service advisor, a business he started after nearly two decades as a corporate pilot.

Additionally, Parry is a motivational speaker, which gives him a great “in” for television broadcasting. His combination of exceptional rules knowledge and a knack for public speaking should translate well in his relocation from the field to the press box.

Last season, three former referees traded their white hats for television headsets in the span of one week, with Jeff Triplette joining ESPN as a rules analyst, Terry McAulay becoming NBC’s first rules analyst, and Gene Steratore succeeding Mike Carey at CBS.