For first time since the Super Bowl began in 1967, Detroit News reporter Jerry Green won’t cover the game. He is the only reporter to attend every Super Bowl, and his streak will end at 56 in a row.
Green, 94, told the News his declining health led to his decision to end the streak. He is in a wheelchair and on oxygen.
Asked what it will be like to watch the game on TV: “It’s something I’ve never done. I don’t know. … I’ve always believed if you’re going to cover a game, you’ve got to be there.”
In recent years, the NFL helped accommodate Green, offering a credentials to a family member to help physically support him.
“Jerry Green is part of the very fabric of the Super Bowl,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a statement to The Detroit News. “A Super Bowl legend, he is the last writer to cover all 56 games thus far. From the humble beginnings of this championship game to today, Jerry has chronicled the NFL’s story every step of the way. We will miss seeing him in Arizona, but we will always be grateful for his outstanding writing in bringing the stories of our game, teams, and players to millions of fans for more than half a century.”