NBC's Al Michaels apologized after he "made light of the sexual assault allegations" against Harvey Weinstein during last night's Giants-Broncos "SNF" broadcast, according to Dan Cahill of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. In describing the Giants' struggles in an 0-5 start to the season, Michaels said, "The Giants are coming off a worse week than Harvey Weinstein." NBC's Cris Collinsworth chimed in: "Only my L.A. guy comes up with that one" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/16). Michaels later in the game issued an apology, saying, "Sorry I made a reference earlier, I was trying to be a little flip about somebody obviously very much in the news all over the country, and it was not meant in that manner. So, my apologies, and, um, we’ll just leave it at that." In DC, Des Bieler writes it may have been "suggested to Michaels that he offer an apology by a producer who noted the negative reaction online" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 10/16). In N.Y., Gilberg & Leonard write Michaels' attempt at humor "fell flat." Broaching the "severity of Weinstein's transgressions in the same sentence as an NFL team’s struggles was awkward, and given the politically charged climate of conservatives blasting Weinstein and Democrats but excusing" President Trump’s "history of alleged sexual assault, it was especially untimely" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/16).
TWITTER REAX: Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman asked, “Did Al Michaels just really say that?” NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano: “Al Michaels just went there.” ESPN’s Bomani Jones: “too soon, al michaels. toooooooo soon.” Rivals.com’s Eric Bossi wrote Michaels is “going to deserve all the hell he catches.” The N.Y. Daily News’ Mike Mazzeo: “The only one having a worse game than Brandon McManus is Al Michaels.” Bleacher Report’s Doug Farrar: “Al Michaels is probably the best play-by-play guy in history. But boy... that was a big, big lapse in judgment.” Author Jeff Pearlman: “Al Michaels had FOUR DECADES of elite broadcasting with very few slip-ups. I'm giving him a pass here.” MLB Network’s Robert Flores: “Al Michaels is what happens when you surround yourself with people that routinely laugh at your bad jokes.”
