Sports broadcaster Al Michaels appeared on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last night where he addressed the Patriots “Deflategate” scandal. Michaels said, “The government of Yemen has collapsed, we have terror cells in France and all three network news broadcasts tonight were led with ‘Deflategate.’ In fact, somebody sent me something in Vegas now. They already have all the proposition bets for the Super Bowl. You can bet on anything. … There’s a proposition that says how many times will Michaels and Collinsworth say ‘Deflated balls.’ The over/under is 2.5. Bet the over." More Michaels on Deflategate: “I guess it will die down by then but it’s insane right now.” Host Jimmy Kimmel said, “There’s nothing else to talk about right now.” Michaels: “Football has now become a complete national obsession.” Kimmel added, “It really is and it’s partially your fault” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 1/22).
Sports broadcaster Bob Costas appeared on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” last night, with host Jimmy Fallon noting it was Costas' first appearance on the new show. Costas: “Unless you count your premiere week where you got a lot of material out of my pinkeye in Sochi.” Fallon: “I feel so bad for you, man.” Costas: “Yeah, you really did. I could tell.” Fallon said the “fact that you just wanted to keep going and keep broadcasting, it shows how game you are. But you almost ruined the Olympics for everybody.” Costas: “When I realized that it was so ghastly that I was frightening old ladies and small children, I had to leave for a week. Then I came back and I've come to realize that there's only one thing, one condition in all of sports that’s worse than pink eye. Deflated balls” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 1/22).
TBS’ Conan O’Brien noted the Patriots are “mired in a scandal. Everyone’s talking about this. The controversy surrounding the New England Patriots and underinflated balls is now being called Deflategate. That is what the press is calling it, Deflategate, which now means my wife will have to use a different term to describe our honeymoon. … Patriots quarterback Tom Brady gave a press conference today and he said that after equipment managers prepare the footballs he ‘doesn't want anyone touching the balls or rubbing the balls because the balls are perfect.’ Then members of the press took a 45-minute giggle break” (“Conan,” TBS, 1/22).
