The New York Giants no doubt had a really bad week leading up to their game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. They lost Odell Beckham Jr. for the remainder of the season after he sustained a leg injury during their Week 5 game against the San Diego Chargers. They also lost OBJ’s fellow wide receiver Brandon Marshall for the season due to a leg injury. And the sky seemed to be falling for the Giants, who started off the season 0-5 after being projected by some to be a Super Bowl contender.
So yes, they had a really bad week. But was it as bad as Harvey Weinstein’s week?
Hmmm…that seems like a terrible comparison to even try and make. And yet, that’s exactly what NBC’s Al Michaels did—on live TV, no less—during the Giants/Broncos game on Sunday night.
"Let’s face it," Michaels said, "the Giants are coming off a worse week than Harvey Weinstein, and they’re up by 14 points!"
Michaels’ broadcasting partner Cris Collinsworth didn’t seem to know what to say in response to Michaels’ remark, so he just laughed nervously. But obviously, plenty of people out there caught Michaels’ comment and were stunned that he would bring up Weinstein and all of the sexual harassment and assault allegations surrounding him in the middle of an NFL game.
It didn’t take NBC long to force Michaels to make an apology. At the top of the fourth quarter, Michaels addressed what he said and apologized for saying it.
"Sorry I made a reference earlier before," Michaels said, "tried to be a little flip about somebody obviously very much in the news all over the country. It was not meant in that manner. So my apologies, and we’ll just leave it at that."
Michaels has been broadcasting for a long time and is responsible for making some of the most important calls in U.S. sports history. But he clearly made a mistake by bringing up Weinstein in relation to the Giants on Sunday night, and we wouldn’t expect to hear him go back to that well on live TV anytime soon.
