Michael Strahan May Retire From TV Sooner Than People Think

Michael Strahan implied he will step away from TV before people expect.

Michael Strahan
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Image via Getty/Matteo Marchi

Michael Strahan

Earlier this month, we wrote that Graham Bensinger is one of the rising stars ESPN should target. Bensinger has scored interviews with some of the most prominent names in sports, and seemingly every time he sits down with someone, fascinating details emerge. His newest interviewee: former Giants defensive end and current TV star Michael Strahan.

Strahan is flourishing on TV in a way that many ex-athletes likely envy. He is currently a regular on Good Morning America, and he is one of FOX's studio analysts for its NFL coverage. That's merely scratching the surface of what Strahan is up to—seemingly every day he pops up on a new program. The dude is everywhere.

Don't expect Strahan to stick around for all that long, though. He gave an interesting response when Bensinger asked how long he wanted to work.

"I had a conversation last night at dinner with a friend of mine—we have a little bet," Strahan said. "I'm not gonna tell you how many years we bet on, but we have a little bet about how long I'll work. ...But at some point [when] my kids are in college, I wanna be able to go to college; I wanna be able to say, 'Yeah, let’s take a trip.' Not, 'Oh you know what, I gotta get this vacation time off. Well, hmm, there's a game on Sunday. I can't.' I want a life where there's some freedom at some point...But I guarantee you this: I'll be off TV before a lot of people [are] sick of seeing me on TV."

Strahan compared his future TV retirement to his first retirement—from football—and to Forrest Gump.

"I'm a big believer in football—when it was done it was done," Strahan said. "I could've played a few more years. [The Giants] wanted me to play a few more years. They doubled my salary the next year. I said, 'No, I’m good.' And one day I may be like Forrest Gump when he's jogging, and then he just stops and he's got all these people behind him and…he turns around and says, 'I'm going home now.' And they're like, 'What? That's it?' That's me when it's over."

The full interview debuts this weekend on In Depth with Graham Bensinger​. Check out the viewing schedule here.

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