Greg Byrne avoided the question on Monday, when asked whether he had made the decision to not retain Eli Gold as Alabama football’s Crimson Tide Sports Network play-by-play broadcaster.

“We wish Eli nothing but the best going forward,” Byrne said, speaking before an appearance at the Birmingham Tip Off Club’s Monday meeting.

Gold had called Alabama games since the 1988 season before the decision to not bring him back after this offseason. CTSN said it had offered Gold a reduced role in the broadcast, and a chance to cover the A-Day game in April, but he had turned it down.

Basketball play-by-play announcer Chris Stewart, who called Alabama away games in 2023 and filled in for an ill Gold for all of 2022, will step into the full-time football role next season. Before being asked if the choice was his, Byrne spoke of the change.

“We have a great partnership with Learfield with our multimedia rights,” Byrne said. “Eli and the other broadcasters are actually contract workers with them. Eli made a tremendous impact on our university and our programs and had a great run as our play-by-play announcer. We wish him nothing but the best and we’re excited for Chris Stewart in the future.”

Gold will call games for the Nashville Kats of the new Arena Football League. He made clear after the news of his Alabama departure that he is not retiring from broadcasting.

“The university has chosen not to bring me back,” Gold told AL.com of the news. “This is not, with a capital N-O-T, not at all health-related. I am very healthy. Everything is wonderful. I am healthy as a horse.”