Cris Collinsworth made headlines Wednesday night for regrettable reasons.
During NBC’s broadcast of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens game, Collinsworth remarked on how impressed he was by the football knowledge shown by female Steelers fans he spoke to throughout the week. The comments, more sloppy, dated and incorrect than malicious or misogynistic in intent, prompted passionate backlash on social media.
“Everybody is a fan,” Collinsworth said of Pittsburgh. “Particularly, the ladies that I met. They have really specific questions about the game. I was like ‘wow,’ just blown away by it.”
Collinsworth, 61, later tweeted an apology.
“I’m sick about insulting any fan, but especially female fans and journalists,” he said. “I know first hand how much harder they have to work than any of us in this industry. I was wrong and deeply apologize.”
NBC has not issued an official statement on the matter.
Collinsworth, a former receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, is in his 12th season alongside Al Michaels in NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” booth.
