Former NBC sportscaster Bob Costas claims that a network executive told him “you’ve crossed the line” after he commented that football “destroys” some players’ brains, and was booted from hosting the 2018 Super Bowl shortly thereafter. In an ESPN story published Sunday, Costas detailed circumstances surrounding his departure from the network after some 40 years. In late 2017, at a University of Maryland journalism symposium, Costas said, “The reality is that this game destroys people’s brains; not everyone’s, but a substantial number. It’s not a small number, it’s a considerable number. It destroys their brains.” Costas said he later received a text from executive producer Sam Flood that said: “You’ve crossed the line,” and was told he wouldn’t be announcing the 2018 Super Bowl. “I recall the phrase, ‘It’s a six-hour, daylong celebration of football, and you’re not the right person to celebrate football,’” Costas says. “To which my response was not, ‘Oh please, please, change your mind.’ My response was, Yeah, I guess you’re right.’”