Posted on 10/16/2017 7:47:15 AM PDT by EdnaMode
Do you believe in pitiful?
Renowned sports broadcaster Al Michaels awkwardly injected Harvey Weinstein’s ongoing sexual assault scandal into NBC’s Giants-Broncos telecast Sunday night, comparing the Hollywood bigwig’s transgressions to the level of turmoil the Giants had experienced this past week.
The Giants lost four starting receivers to injury in their loss to the Chargers last week, including season-ending injuries to Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Harris. The Giants also suspended Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie indefinitely after a meeting between Rodgers-Cromartie and coach Ben McAdoo.
“I mean, let’s face it. The Giants are coming off a worse week than Harvey Weinstein and they’re up 14 points,” Michaels said, to the amusement of fellow announcer Cris Collinsworth.
“Only my L.A. guy comes up with that one,” said Collinsworth, laughing. “There you go.”
“All you have to do is read the papers — any paper,” Michaels responded.
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 Donald Trump’s history of alleged sexual assault, it was especially untimely.
The Weinstein Company’s board fired Weinstein after it was reported there were a number of sexual harassment complaints against the Hollywood producer.
More than a dozen women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault.
The offhanded comment by Michaels comes after late-night comedian James Corden was criticized for his jokes related to the Weinstein scandal at the armFAR gala Friday night. Corden, who hosted the event in Los Angeles, made several jokes alluding to women being forced to give Weinstein massages and watch him take a bath.
“It’s a beautiful night here in LA — so beautiful, Harvey Weinstein has already asked it to go up to his hotel to give him a massage,” Corden said, to a chorus of groans from the audience. “I don’t know whether that groan was that you like that joke, or you don’t like that joke. If you don’t like that joke, you should probably leave now.”
The “Late Late Show” host later apologized for his insensitive remarks.
Absolutely, I thought Howard was very entertaining and a great foil for the other two, the perfect antidote to the expected ex-jock and formulaic play-by-play guy. MNF was a radical idea in sports programming and that broadcast team was virtually perfect for it.
Karma got back at Odell “dog pee” Beckham.
Boo f’n hoo.
My all-time favorite Michaels’ moment was during the O.J. car chase when the Howard Stern prank caller called into Peter Jennings, and it was Michaels that finally had to clue Peter in.
Sorry to be stupid but what is IIRC? I guess I didn’t get the memo.
I like Al Michaels. He’s a good broadcaster.
If I Recall Correctly
Good point. The left purposely equates this comment with Weinstein’s behavior.
History? What history?
Dink!
That scene will never die.
Al makes off the cuff remarks all the time. During a game in Washington DC during Clintons term the cameras were panning the White House when Chris noted the curtains were pulled shut. Al’s remark? “What else is new”
Fake news based on a deliberate misinterpretation of one comment.
One MNF, Cosell was going on about the lackluster performances on the field that night. “Rather like some of the lackluster performances turned in by your two respective teams, Frank & Don!” was Cosell’s final comment.
To which Dandy Don replied, “Well Howard, at least Frank & I HAVE respective teams.”
Cosell did not say a word for 20 minutes!
I found Howard’s pedantic diatribes nauseating. Gifford said that NO ONE liked Cosell. Despite this, Gifford was the better man and visited Howard daily at his bedside as Howard neared his demise.
-PJ
MNF never would have had the ratings it did without Cosell’s personality to drive viewership. Lots of people who had the same reaction to him as you did actually watched because of him. In other words, they loved to hate him. Tuesday water cooler talk was as likely to be about Cosell as it was about the game itself.
I agree with you, but for me as a kid, Cosell was merely an annoyance. I loved football, period.
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