Al Michaels will not be providing commentary for an NFL playoff game on NBC for the first time since 2006, and Joe Buck is concerned that Michaels might have been caught off guard by the network’s decision.
In a recent episode of Andrew Marchand’s Sports Media Podcast, where Buck was the co-host in the absence of John Ourand, Buck raised questions about the way Michaels was informed of the move and expressed hope that Michaels wasn’t blindsided.
Buck inquired, “How was he told that he was not doing this playoff game? If you tell me he’s known forever and this is the deal, this is the deal that he signed, well that’s one thing. But to find out publicly, and you’re Al Michaels… How was he alerted to this? Was this in his deal, did he know beforehand, did he find out through social media or through you? And if the answer is that he found out through you [Marchand] or social media, then I think that sucks.”
In a November interview with Marchand, Michaels had responded to questions about the possibility of being excluded from NBC’s NFL playoff coverage, stating, “It’s in my deal. Where are you hearing that from? That’s part of my deal. Are you hearing something that I’m not hearing?” Despite this on-the-record response, Marchand found it hard to believe that Michaels knew about the playoff change before the 79-year-old broadcaster did.
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Buck emphasized the importance of how Michaels found out, stating, “It’s more a question of how he found out. And if you are to take him at his word, and that’s the way it went down, I think that’s embarrassing for an all-time talent and weak. But if he was aware and he wasn’t willing to admit that, that’s another situation altogether. I will miss him because I really enjoy watching him do games. It’s pleasant to me, it feels big and it feels pleasant to me.”
While acknowledging Michaels’ impressive career, Buck suggested that recent criticism of Michaels lacking enthusiasm during games might explain why NBC sought to make a change. However, he emphasized that regardless of the decision, publicly revealing it without informing Michaels beforehand would be considered bad business.
