FOX Sports NFL sideline reporter Kristina Pink has remained noticeably absent from the network’s coverage the last two weeks.
Pink was scheduled to be on the broadcast of the Seattle Seahawks vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game this past weekend alongside Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth, but was not present. Instead, Brooklyn Nets color analyst Sarah Kustok was in her place.
Several question marks surrounding FOX’s NFL broadcasters
The previous week, all eyes were on the absence of Mark Sanchez, who was hospitalized and arrested for an altercation in Indianapolis. Sanchez was supposed to do the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Indianapolis Colts game with Pink and Myers, but was replaced by Brady Quinn at the last minute. There was no fill-in for Pink, as FOX did not utilize another sideline reporter for that matchup.
Pink was last seen on the broadcast of the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. San Francisco 49ers game on September 28. That was also the last game broadcast that featured Pink and her entire normal broadcast crew of Adam Amin and Sanchez.
While Pink has not been working for FOX, she and FOX Sports have not publicly commented on her ongoing absence from the sidelines. Pink has not posted on her public X account since September 28 and has not posted on her public Instagram account since September 15.
FOX’s backup plan without Pink
According to ListWire, Pink is not expected to return to the sidelines this week. Kustok is expected to fill in for Pink for the second-straight game, working alongside Myers and Schlereth for the Carolina Panthers vs. New York Jets broadcast. It will be Kustok’s third NFL sideline reporting assignment of the season and her second working alongside Myers and Schlereth.
In the coming weeks, Pink is expected to join Prime Video’s new NBA broadcast team as one of the network’s top courtside reporters. Pink previously announced on August 20 that she was leaving her role as the courtside reporter for the Los Angeles Clippers on FanDuel Sports Network SoCal/West to join Prime Video’s national NBA coverage.
Pink first joined FOX Sports in 2012 and has held a prominent role within the network. She previously served as FOX’s lead college football sideline reporter for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, working with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt. From 2018–2021, she also shared the sidelines with Erin Andrews for FOX’s NFL coverage of Thursday Night Football on the network’s lead broadcast crew with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
When will Pink return?
It remains a mystery of why Pink has been absent and there are no indications of when her return to the NFL sidelines for FOX Sports will occur.
