Veteran sportscaster Al Michaels compared the struggles of an NFL team to Harvey Weinstein, a man who allegedly sexually assaulted dozens of women over more than two decades — and Michaels, predictably, apologized shortly thereafter.
The moment came on during NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcast of the Giants-Broncos game. The winless Giants have been experiencing a run of bad luck this season, but Michaels found a questionable metaphor for the team's difficult run.
"I mean, let's face it. The Giants are coming off a worse week than Harvey Weinstein," Michaels quipped after Big Blue took a 14-point lead over the 3-1 Broncos.
The Giants did, indeed, have a bad week, what with injuries to stars Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall. But the tributations of a football team could hardly be measured as "worse" than Weinstein's week, which included more allegations of sexual assault and, in at least one case, rape.
Those accusations have flooded the media since last Thursday, when the New York Times published an investigation detailing Weinstein's predatory behavior against actresses in Hollywood, and secret payoffs he made to stars to keep them quiet. The New Yorker followed up with its own story that revealed several other instances of sexual harassment and worse. After the stories were published, many other actresses — including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie — came forward. Scotland Yard is reportedly investigating Weinstein, and the New York Police Department has also reopened a 2015 case against him.
So, no, the Giants' week did not seem as bad, by comparison, as Weinstein's. So Michaels later apologized for being "flip" about the movie mogul.
"It was not meant in that manner," Michaels said. "So my apologies, and we'll just leave it at that."
Social media did not, exactly, leave it at that.
"Al Michaels made a Harvey Weinstein joke," tweeted National Review Critic-At-Large Kyle Smith. "It was not overly imbued with good taste."
Al Michaels made a Harvey Weinstein joke. It was not overly imbued with good taste.
— Kyle Smith (@rkylesmith) October 16, 2017
Others openly mocked Michaels.
"'The Giants are disrobing the Broncos like Harvey Weinstein at the Four Seasons hotel....2nd & 10 at the 35....' - Al Michaels," tweeted @NYSportsGuy210.
SB Nation's Jeanna Thomas headlined her story on the joke with an implicit suggestion for the next time a sportscaster is moved to make a current events joke likely to offend anyone who thinks rape is being made fun of: "Al Michaels said the Giants had a worse week than Harvey Weinstein when he could have said NOTHING," the headline read.
Of course, Michaels, famous for delivering the line, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" when the United States Olympic hockey team defeated the vaunted Soviet machine in 1980, had his defenders.
"Liberals are more outraged at Al Michaels joke than Harvey Weinstein," tweeted Jim Thomas.
The Giants ended up winning the game, 23-10, so Michaels's joke ended up falling even flatter.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Educated at the Sorbonne and MIT, Gersh Kuntzman is obviously not the person being described here. The Gersh Kuntzman in ... Read more
