USA Today: Former Raiders CEO Amy Trask Takes TV Analyst Job
Amy Trask never dwelled on her gender when she served as the longtime CEO of the Oakland Raiders. She maintains she will take the same stance with her new role as an NFL TV analyst.
It was announced Tuesday that Trask will be part of That Other Pregame Show, a new four-hour production that will air on CBS Sports Network from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., beginning with week 1 of the NFL season on Sept. 8. Adam Schein will be the host and other analysts include longtime linebacker Bart Scott.
Trask will be the first woman to fill an analyst's chair who actually ran an NFL team. She spent 27 years with the Raiders, serving as CEO since 1997 before stepping down in May.
Previously, Phyllis George broke new ground for women on NFL Today during the 1970s. However, she and her successor, Jayne Kennedy, were primarily feature reporters.
Just as she did with the Raiders, Trask downplayed the notion that she is breaking any barriers.
"I have always tried to do my job as best as possible without regard to gender," Trask said. "I've always felt if I have not considered my gender to be an issue, it will be less likely that others will consider it an issue."
The bigger issue, Trask says, will be the mental adjustment that she will have to make. She says she always tried to avoid the news media during her days with the Raiders. She felt the focus should be on the players and coaches. Now she is part of the media, a prospect she called "nerve-wracking."
"I spent almost 27 years running away from the cameras," Trask said. "I tried my best not to engage in any dialogue with the media. This is a paradigm shift for me. Now I'm supposed to look into the camera, not run away from it, and answer questions."
Trask said she wasn't thinking about broadcast possibilities when she left the Raiders. However, people thought she should give it a try. CBS agreed, seeking to get her perspective from the business end of the NFL.
"Amy has experiences and insight that are different from just about anyone else who is working in sports television," said Tyler Hale, vice-president of studio production for CBS Sports.
Unlike former general managers turned analysts on other NFL shows, Trask won't be breaking down film and providing scouting reports. Rather her focus will be on issues that impact important decisions within an organization.
"I can't weigh in on what it's like to be the 54th man on the roster in training camp," Trask said. "I can weigh in with insights to business issues that are involved in making football decisions. I know the business of football."
After Al Davis died in 2011, Trask reportedly didn't share the same kind of relationship with his son, Mark, who took over the Raiders. It led to her departure.
Now Trask's new role likely will require her to comment on her former team. "I hope and I believe I would handle that issue in the same manner as I would treat any of the 31 other teams," Trask said. "And that's fairly, directly, and honestly."