Ex-UGA star Pollack’s new zone is talk radio

David Pollack has returned home —- with a new job.

The former University of Georgia All-American, whose NFL career was cut short by a broken neck, will be announced as a co-host of 790/the Zone’s afternoon radio broadcast team today.

“I get to talk sports for a couple of hours a day,” Pollack said Monday. “I’m a fanatic of every sport. I’d watch pingpong if it was on. …

“Coming in, I know I have a lot to learn, but I have strong opinions that I’m not afraid to voice. I’m opinionated —- obnoxiously opinionated.”

Pollack will join Mike Bell and Chuck Oliver on the “Afternoon Saloon” program from 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays on WQXI-AM.

“He’s thrilled to come back to Atlanta, thrilled to be close to his family and the University of Georgia,” said Neal Maziar, vice president and general manager of 790/the Zone.

“He watches everything. That blew me away. And he’s smart. I think what you are going to find is that the same attributes that made him so great on the field —- his leadership, his enthusiasm, his preparation —- you will hear the same thing on the air.”

Much is new for Pollack, who has relocated to Atlanta. His wife, Lindsey, gave birth to their first child, a son Nicholas, almost four weeks ago.

And the radio gig won’t be Pollack’s only new job. He will also be working for CBS, doing a studio SEC postgame television show on Saturdays in New York.

“Anytime you can talk football it’s great. And SEC football, even better,” Pollack said.

Pollack was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft (17th overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals. He suffered a fractured C-6 vertebra on Sept. 17, 2006, the second game of his second season.

He never officially announced his retirement from the NFL. In April, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said the linebacker was “headed to retirement.”

“I’d love to be able to play football; I’ve been playing since I was 6 years old,” Pollack said Monday. “But when the doctors tell you you can’t play, you can’t play.”

It was that April announcement that got the radio station interested.

“The minute we heard David was retiring, myself, [co-presidents] Andrew Saltzman and Steak Shapiro, we looked at each other and said, ‘We need to get in touch with David Pollack,’ ” Maziar said.

Pollack worked a shift on the station’s morning program this summer. Call it an audition.

“An opportunity presented itself and I thought I could be pretty good at it,” Pollack said. “It’s so enjoyable. I can’t sit around the house all day. It’s just not enjoyable. Since I broke my neck, my schedule has been pretty fluid.

“This will give me some structure. I’m looking forward to it.”

Pollack replaces Brandon Leak.