Mike Florio 'Sets Record Straight' On Speculation About Chris Simms

ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio is setting the record straight on the controversy involving his PFT Live co-host Chris Simms getting removed from Football Night in America on the heels of a tense moment on their show.

In a piece published to his website on Thursday, Florio said that the viral moment where he told Simms to "stay on target" while discussing the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel controversy was just him trying to keep Simms from saying something that could cross a line and get him into legal trouble.

"Two weeks ago, after USA Today fired Crissy Froyd for comments she made on Twitter when Dianna Russini resigned from The Athletic, I addressed the manner in which the aggregators had reacted to my effort to steer Chris Simms on PFT Live as he was potentially deviating from the known and reported facts about the controversy involving Russini and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. They believed (or pretended to believe) that I'd reached through the camera and applied a concrete muzzle to Simms, just as he was about to make some dramatic revelation that would have provided a definitive solution to the entire situation (along with a clip they could steal and post)," Florio explained.

"The truth was far less interesting. I practiced law for 19 years. I know where the line is. I was trying to keep my co-host and friend away from it, by getting him to stick to what was known and/or properly vetted and reported."

"At that specific moment, my goal was to protect my co-host and friend from accidentally saying something that isn't known and/or hasn't been properly vetted and reported. Such comments can have consequences, potentially in the form of a civil lawsuit for defamation," he added.

Setting the Record Straight

Florio also addressed the misinformation being spread by people attempting to tie the controversy on PFT Live to the subsequent announcement that Simms was off Football Night in America. He explained that Simms' departure was part of a wider, ongoing overhaul of the entire show and admonished people for trying to tie the two unrelated things together.

Florio made it clear that Simms has not been fired from NBC, will not be leaving PFT Live and will still continue to do both his podcast and the NBC college football studio show.

"It's stupid. It's illogical. It's cuckoo for (redacted) Cocoa Puffs. And while it may be good for aggregator engagement, it's very bad for brain cells - and it reveals the absence of them in those who actually believe there's a link between the two things," Florio wrote.

"Also (and since this one has caught some traction, too), NBC didn't "fire" Chris. He'll still co-host PFT Live. He'll still do his podcast, Chris Simms Unbuttoned. He's still part of the NBC Saturday college football studio show."

The timing of all of this happening is a little too coincidental for many fans to accept, but sometimes a coincidence simply is what it is.

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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 10:53 AM.