Carlson played defensive end at Milford Academy as an underage academic scholarship student on a largely post-graduate teams.

On 21 May 2011, Carlson "will call all the action from the Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium in Arusha when Tanzania hosts the first game of college American Football to be played on the African continent.

"[5] Since 2010 he has returned to Channel 4 to provide punditry for the 2011–12 NFL season and co-hosted the American sports podcast Americarnage with Nat Coombs and Dan Louw from 2011 to 2016.

[citation needed] Carlson was the lead commentator for the BBC's coverage of the basketball at the 2012 Olympics, alongside co-commentator John Amaechi.

Whilst commentating after the finish of the quarter-final game between Argentina and Brazil, Carlson was hit on the head by a rogue basketball that had been kicked into the stands by Argentinian player Pablo Prigioni – his bewildered reaction became a popular video on the internet.

[6] He was also part of the commentary team for the BBC's coverage of the basketball at the 2016 Olympics, alongside Australian sports broadcasters Mark Chester, Matthew Hill, Steve Robilliard and Vitor Sobral.

During this time he worked with hosts Martin Bayfield, Josh Chetwynd, Mark Webster, Simon Golding, Colin Murray and Nat Coombs.

[citation needed] Carlson was one of the analysts for the BBC's inaugural coverage of the Super Bowl in February 2008,[7] hosted by Jake Humphrey, with Rod Woodson as his partner.

[8] Carlson joined Mark Chapman and Danny Amendola, of the St. Louis Rams, for the BBC's coverage of Super Bowl XLVI on 5–6 February 2012.