In a recent development reported by Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, NBC has made the surprising decision to remove Al Michaels from its NFL playoff coverage. This announcement has raised eyebrows, given Michaels’ iconic status as a broadcaster and his ongoing role in calling games for Amazon Prime. NBC’s postseason lineup will now feature Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth for two of the three assignments, while Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge will handle the third game.
In the wake of Marchand’s report, which hinted at a strained relationship between Michaels and NBC, a rather intriguing conspiracy theory has surfaced on social media. Some individuals have suggested, albeit with varying degrees of seriousness, that Michaels might have been ousted from NBC’s playoff broadcasts due to his earlier criticism of the network’s coverage of Taylor Swift during the season.
Reflecting on NBC’s decision to showcase Swift during a Chiefs game in October, Michaels had remarked, “We had to be judicious. We had the game last Thursday night in Kansas City. We knew she’d be there. How much do you show her? She’d been on twice, and football fans were going, ‘ENOUGH!’ But we were praying she’d come in the booth and sing for us. I had to acknowledge it, but what do you do? You can’t fool around, otherwise people will say that sounds hokey and the whole thing. We had a shot of her, and I didn’t know how to describe her.”
While this conspiracy theory might add a layer of intrigue to the situation, it’s essential to note that Michaels’ departure from NBC appears to be rooted in broader issues. Reports suggest that his relationship with the network had been strained for some time, and he had already been replaced by Tirico as the network’s primary NFL play-by-play announcer.
In essence, it seems that this situation had been brewing independently of Taylor Swift’s involvement due to her association with Travis Kelce.