Ditka's new TV deal means less travel, no 'Countdown' (Yahoo Sports)

Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka is departing as a regular analyst on ESPN's ''Sunday NFL Countdown'' and will take up a new role as a contributor to the network's ''SportsCenter'' shows. ESPN made the announcement Wednesday. The 76-year-old Ditka has said that traveling each weekend to the network's Bristol, Conn., studios from his homes in Chicago in Florida became too wearying.