People are searching for Damien Woody’s Wikipedia page because ESPN just cut ties with him after a 15-year run as one of its main NFL voices. This article pulls together verified facts about his football career, his family, and what’s actually confirmed about his next move, so you don’t have to sort through rumor sites to get a straight answer.
Background
Damien Michael Woody is a retired NFL offensive lineman who spent 12 seasons in the league before becoming a television football analyst. He played center, guard, and tackle at different points in his career, which is a rare kind of versatility for a big man on the offensive line. Fans search his name for two very different reasons: older fans remember him blocking for Tom Brady during the New England Patriots’ early Super Bowl runs, while newer fans mostly know him as a calm, knowledgeable voice on ESPN shows like Get Up and First Take.
He’s trending again right now because his broadcasting job just ended, and search interest in “who is Damien Woody” and “Damien Woody Wikipedia” tends to spike whenever a familiar TV face suddenly disappears from the screen.
Latest Update
ESPN has decided not to renew Damien Woody’s contract, ending his 15-year run at the network. The news was first reported by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic on August 12, 2026. Woody was told the news directly and, according to Marchand, chose to stay on air through the rest of August rather than leave immediately.
Woody is not the only NFL analyst affected. ESPN also parted ways with Ryan Clark and Cam Newton around the same time, and several other longtime employees, including broadcaster Karl Ravech, were let go in the same wave of summer changes at the network. Reports connect these moves to ESPN’s recent acquisition of NFL Network and related digital assets, which created overlap in on-air staff.
📌 What Woody himself has said: He told The Athletic, “Being at ESPN for 15 years, it’s been an absolute joy,” and added that he simply wants to “keep talking ball,” which suggests he’s open to continuing in football media somewhere else. No new employer has been confirmed as of this date.
No specific next job, network, or deal has been confirmed for Woody as of August 13, 2026. Any claims online naming a specific new employer should be treated as speculation until an official announcement is made.
Full Profile
Family and Early Life
Woody was born in Beaverdam, Virginia, and grew up in nearby Ashland. He attended Patrick Henry High School, where he played on the team that won Virginia’s 1994 state football championship. Multiple biography sites report that he has seven children with his wife, though Wikipedia itself does not list the names, so treat the exact number and children’s names as reported but not independently confirmed through a primary source.
Career Path
The Patriots picked Woody 17th overall in the 1999 NFL Draft out of Boston College, where he’d played from 1995 to 1998. He spent five seasons in New England (1999–2003), four with the Detroit Lions (2004–2007), and three with the New York Jets (2008–2010), appearing in 173 career games. He retired in July 2011 after tearing his Achilles tendon during a Jets playoff game, and joined ESPN as an analyst that same August.
Age
Woody was born on November 3, 1977, which makes him 48 years old as of this article’s publish date.
Religion
Some fan biography sites describe Woody as Christian, but this has not been confirmed through an interview or official source, so it should be treated as unconfirmed.
Spouse/Partner
Woody is widely reported to be married to a woman named Nicole, described as his high school sweetheart. This detail appears consistently across multiple fan biography sites, but it is not listed on his Wikipedia page or confirmed through a major sports outlet, so treat the spelling and details of her name as reported rather than fully verified.
Net Worth
Third-party wealth-estimate sites put Woody’s net worth around $12 million, drawing mainly from his NFL playing contracts, including a reported five-year, $25 million deal with the Jets in 2008, plus over a decade of ESPN salary. These figures are estimates built from public contract data, not numbers confirmed by Woody or his representatives, so they should be read as approximate.
Parents
Some biography sites name his parents, but these names are not confirmed by Wikipedia or a major outlet, so they are left out here rather than repeated as fact.
Height
Woody is listed at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall, and he played at roughly 330 pounds during his NFL career.
Education
He played college football at Boston College from 1995 to 1998, where he was a two-time All-Big East selection before entering the NFL Draft.
Hometown/State of Origin
Woody is from Virginia — born in Beaverdam and raised in Ashland, both located in Hanover County.
Official Social Media
Woody’s verified account is on X (formerly Twitter): @damienwoody.
Quick Facts Table
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Damien Michael Woody |
| Born | November 3, 1977, Beaverdam, Virginia |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| College | Boston College (1995–1998) |
| NFL Draft | 1999, Round 1, Pick 17 (New England Patriots) |
| NFL Teams | Patriots (1999–2003), Lions (2004–2007), Jets (2008–2010) |
| Career Games | 173 |
| Super Bowl Wins | 2 (XXXVI, XXXVIII) |
| Pro Bowl | 2002 |
| ESPN Tenure | August 2011 – August 2026 |
| Estimated Net Worth | ~$12 million (unverified third-party estimate) |
✅ Confirmed fact: Woody’s ESPN exit and the “contract not renewed” wording both come directly from Andrew Marchand’s reporting for The Athletic, which is considered a reliable, on-the-record source in sports media.⚠️ Unconfirmed claim: Any article stating Woody has already signed with a specific new network (FS1, NFL Network, CBS, etc.) is getting ahead of the facts. As of August 13, 2026, no next job has been officially announced.
Reader Questions (FAQ)
Is Damien Woody still with ESPN?
No. ESPN chose not to renew his contract, and the move was reported on August 12, 2026. Woody agreed to stay on air through the rest of August before officially leaving.
Why did ESPN let Damien Woody go?
Reports tie the decision to ESPN’s broader roster changes following its acquisition of NFL Network assets, which created overlap among on-air NFL analysts. Woody was one of several longtime personalities affected in the same round of cuts.
How old is Damien Woody?
He was born on November 3, 1977, making him 48 years old as of this article.
Did Damien Woody win a Super Bowl?
Yes, twice. He was part of the New England Patriots’ championship teams for Super Bowl XXXVI and Super Bowl XXXVIII.
What team drafted Damien Woody?
The New England Patriots selected him with the 17th overall pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft, straight out of Boston College.
Is Damien Woody married?
Multiple biography sources report he’s married to a woman named Nicole and that the two have several children, though this detail isn’t confirmed through Wikipedia or a major news outlet.
What is Damien Woody doing after ESPN?
As of August 13, 2026, nothing is confirmed. Woody has said publicly that he wants to keep working in football media, which suggests he’ll likely resurface somewhere, but no deal has been announced.
Wrap-Up
Damien Woody’s story is really two careers stacked on top of each other: 12 years protecting quarterbacks and winning championships, followed by 15 years explaining the game to millions of viewers on ESPN. That second chapter closing this month is a big deal in sports media circles, not because Woody did anything wrong, but because it’s part of a much larger shakeup happening at the network right now.
What makes Woody’s situation a little different from some of his former colleagues is the tone around his exit. He wasn’t pulled off air mid-broadcast, and he’s spoken about the departure without bitterness, which lines up with how he’s generally been described throughout his broadcasting run: steady, well-informed, and easy to listen to.
For now, the honest answer to “what’s next for Damien Woody” is that nobody outside his inner circle knows yet. If a new deal gets announced, it’ll likely come from a specific, named outlet rather than a vague rumor, so it’s worth watching direct sports-media reporters rather than aggregator sites for the real update.
John Wood is the founder and lead editor of Biography Region. He researches and writes accurate, engaging biographies of celebrities, entrepreneurs, influencers, and public figures, delivering well-sourced, reader-focused content that informs and inspires.