Terry Bradshaw is no stranger to stealing the show with his antics on FOX NFL Sunday” – and he once joked about the lengths he would go to for the show to enjoy a ratings boost.

The four-time Super Bowl champion and Pittsburgh Steelers icon has been part of the FOX crew for 30 years, becoming renowned for his sharp criticism blended with his southern drawl and cheeky humor.

Aged 76, Bradshaw is still going strong. Ahead of Super Bowl LVII in Arizona last year, the Louisiana native said he is “not looking over his shoulder” when it comes to his health and retirement, although he joked that FOX would enjoy a surge in viewers if he died live on air.

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“I told FOX, if I could just die on the show, think about the ratings, right? Are we not about ratings? That’d be huge. Not only that, there would be a huge carryover,” Bradshaw told Denver Sports 104.3.

“Then all the networks would be saying ‘Bradshaw died on FOX NFL Sunday’. Huge stuff, and then maybe I get a statue out front.

“But if I can keep my health together, I love what I’m doing. But we all get old and we’re going to get kicked out. I’m not looking over my shoulder, but [Tom] Brady is coming in for $37.5 million.”

Bradshaw’s appearances on FOX NFL Sunday this season have been eventful, to say the least. He caused confusion in the studio when a joke about Michael Strahan being inducted into the Texas Southern University Hall of Fame failed to land.

And he angered some viewers with his analysis of the Carolina Panthers’ Week 3 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, putting on what he said was a Carolina accent for his pearls of wisdom. The skit led to claims he should retire.

Frustrated fans took to social media, with one saying: “Terry Bradshaw, I’m so sorry, but I can’t even understand you anymore. Please leave the studio, man.” Another tweeted: “Terry Bradshaw sounded like Forrest Gump. I’ve lived in NC for 25 years, and I’ve never heard anyone sound like that.”

A third added: “FOX NFL Sunday needs to get rid of Terry Bradshaw. Dude is a senior citizen who needs to stay home and drink a warm glass of milk.”

Others, however, had Bradshaw’s back. “Where have you people been? Did you just start watching the show today? He’s been doing goofy things like this forever. Stop whining,” one fan wrote, while another added: “I think that’s hilarious. People need to lighten up.”

Bradshaw will be back in the FOX studio on Sunday, with the network covering a stacked slate of games including the Detroit Lions’ visit to the Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers’ showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.