NBC has decided to exclude legendary play-by-play man Al Michaels from its playoff broadcast slate, according to a report from the New York Post published Tuesday.
The Post reports that, unlike the previous year, NBC will not employ Michaels to broadcast one of their four playoff games this season.
NEWS: Al Michaels out on NBC playoff coverage, The Post has learned.https://t.co/7HXpbzvY4o
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) December 12, 2023
Michaels, who departed from his longtime gig calling Sunday Night Football for NBC the prior season to cover Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime, still called a game for NBC in the 2023 NFL playoffs. A miraculous comeback effort by the Jacksonville Jaguars made the game an instant classic.
Three of NBC’s four playoff games in 2024 will be covered by their primary broadcast team: play-by-play man Mike Tirico and Michaels’ longtime partner, color analyst Cris Collinsworth, according to the New York Post. (RELATED: Al Michaels And Cris Collinsworth Rock Awesome Hats During Bears/Packers Game)
The other game, which will air the same week as one of the Collinsworth/Tirico games, will go to the network’s flagship college football broadcast team helmed by 26-year-old play-by-play man Noah Eagle and former NFL quarterback Todd Blackledge, according to the Post.
Michaels was allegedly “caught off guard” by the news and indicated to the Post that he still believed he would call a playoff game for NBC as recently as November.
The snub could spell the end for the “do you believe in miracles” originator. Michaels, who lobbied for ESPN’s Monday Night Football and Fox’s primetime booth jobs after being let go from Sunday Night Football, has one year remaining on his deal with Amazon, according to the Post.
If this is the end for Michaels, he’ll probably go out as the best football broadcaster of all time, tied for most Super Bowls announced ever with 11 games called.