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ESPN, AFL Announce On-Air Commentators

April 23, 2014 - Arena Football League (AFL) News Release


CHICAGO - The NET10 Wireless Arena Football League and ESPN have announced the on-air commentators for the Network's 2014 slate of AFL games. Ari Wolfe and JB Long will handle play-by-play while Anthony Herron and Sherdrick Bonner serve as analysts.

Wolfe has been an AFL broadcaster since the 1998 season and has worked in some capacity at every ArenaBowl since 2002. He serves as both a news anchor for NFL Network Now updates and a reporter during weekly coverage of the National Football League. He has called AFL games on OLN, ESPN, NFL Network and CBS Sports Network. He also calls college basketball for ESPN and CBS Sports Network. Wolfe called Albany/Indiana Firebirds games from 1998-2003 and also served as a play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia Soul from 2004-2008 along with being the NFL preseason voice of the Minnesota Vikings from 2007-2011. During the 2008 season, Wolfe had his own column on ArenaFootball.com entitled "Wolfe's Den" and has also called Olympic Table Tennis for NBC Sports for the 2012 London Olympics.

Long appears on Pac-12 Networks as a co-host of Pac-12 Sports Report and contributes to play-by-play duties for football, basketball, baseball, golf, and soccer telecasts. In addition to his duties with Pac-12 Networks, he has also served in the same capacity with MLB Network, ESPN Networks, Bright House Sports Network and Big Ten Network. Long has also worked in recent years calling Arena Football for the Tampa Bay Storm and San Jose SaberCats. He began his broadcasting career as a sports anchor with WHBF-TV in the Quad Cities.

Herron will serve as an analyst both in the booth and on the sideline for "NET10 Wireless Arena Football" on ESPN. He starred at the University of Iowa as a defensive lineman and played five seasons in the NFL before playing and coaching over the course of five years in the AFL. He was the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator of the Tennessee Valley Vipers of af2 when they won the ArenaCup championship in 2008. Shortly after, Herron began more extensive work as a broadcaster. He became one of the lead game and studio analysts for the Big Ten Network and then joined NFL Network in 2010 as a football analyst for "Arena Football Friday." In addition to the NFL Network, Herron has also called AFL games on CBS Sports Network. He has been on every ArenaBowl broadcast since that season and also serves as a college football analyst for NBC Sports and Pac-12 Networks.

Bonner was named the Greatest Quarterback in AFL History by the Silver Anniversary Committee in 2012 and has played a leading role on national AFL telecasts over the past three seasons. In addition, he has served as the sideline analyst for the last two ArenaBowl telecasts. He has called AFL games on the NFL Network and CBS Sports Network. During the college football season, Bonner works as the lead Mountain West Football analyst for Root Sports. In his 15 seasons in the AFL, Bonner was a four-time All-Arena selection. He won two ArenaBowl championships as a player and was named MVP of ArenaBowl VII. Bonner was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame in April 2013.

"NET10 Wireless Arena Football" on ESPN will debut this Sunday on ESPN2 as the Philadelphia Soul (2-3) host the Iowa Barnstormers (3-2) at the Wells Fargo Center in an East Division matchup. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. EST.

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