Keyshawn's been preparing for new gig his whole life

	Apparently Keyshawn Johnson impressed ESPN with his performance as a broadcaster during the draft. AP
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Keyshawn Johnson decided Wednesday morning to dive headlong into his new life as a sports broadcaster, and Vivian Jessie saw it coming.

Jessie's first premonition of Key-TV? It happened about three decades ago, as her five-year-old son livened up her evenings by chattering incessantly over Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett on Dodgers radio broadcasts.

"That boy would not stop talking," Jessie recalled Wednesday from her home in Tarzana, Calif., while Keyshawn, now 35, laughed softly in the background. "Back in the day, whenever there were sports going on, he'd take out one of those tape recorders and be the announcer. And I'd be the audience."

Beginning very soon, Jessie will be joined by millions of ABC and ESPN viewers in listening to her son's commentary on competitions ranging from football (duh) to dancing (huh?). That's right, Johnson's lucrative, broad-based announcing deal could include stints on ABC programs such as Dancing With Stars, Live With Regis And Kelly (as a fill-in host) and ABC News, as well as ESPN's NBA coverage.

It was an offer he couldn't refuse, which is why Johnson is announcing his retirement Wednesday afternoon at USC's Heritage Hall after 11 NFL seasons. Released by the Carolina Panthers shortly after last month's NFL draft -- an event he covered for ESPN, in what turned out to be the first weekend of the rest of his life -- Johnson considered a two-year, $8 million offer from the Tennessee Titans (the Oakland Raiders were also expected to make a competitive offer in the next few days). Ultimately he decided to set his sights on attaining another of his childhood dreams.

"I wanted to be in the entertainment business," Johnson said Wednesday morning. "This isn't just football stuff; I'm going to be doing many different platforms, and it's a big deal. As a kid, I was enamored with guys like Keith Jackson, Irv Cross, Brent Musberger, Vin Scully, Jerry Doggett, Ross Porter, Mike Shannon. One of my dreams was to be calling games, but as time went on, the dream evolved into more of an analyst's role."

Though Johnson had a productive season in 2006, catching 70 passes for 815 yards, he had little problem passing up a chance to pad his career numbers. With 814 receptions for 10,571 yards and 64 touchdowns -- along with a Super Bowl ring (with Tampa Bay in the 2002 season) and three Pro Bowl selections -- the No. 1 pick of the '96 draft may not have lived up to his own hype, but he came close enough to leave without any lasting regrets.

Tough, driven and willing to do the dirty work that often goes unseen by the casual viewer, the former USC star will go down as one of the NFL's great possession receivers of his era, if not any era. His consistent willingness to battle defenders on the backside helped the rushing attack of every team for which he played, and he was a fearless beast on third down and in the red zone, flinging his body into the heart of the secondary when necessary.