Philadelphia anchor apologizes for cursing out officials on the air after Super Bowl
One of the biggest talking points following the Chiefs’ 38-35 win over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII was that defensive holding call.
Eagles cornerback James Bradberry was penalized for grabbing Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster’s jersey on a third-down play with less than 2 minutes on the clock. That gave the Chiefs a first down and they were able to run the clock down and kick a field goal with 8 seconds left.
Bradberry admitted he committed the infraction and replays show he tugged at Smith-Schuster’s jersey.
But after the game, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Michael Barkann unleashed an expletive-laced rant about the officials on the air. He was not happy with the holding call.
“Carl Cheffers’ team with a (horrible) call! I mean utter, complete (horrible) is unbelievable. It’s inexcusable!” Barkann said as his co-hosts sat by uncomfortably. “You don’t make a call right then and there. You don’t let the game be decided by the officiating. And yes, it’s true, the officials go both ways, and you got to rise above it. I understand. This is the fricking Super Bowl and that should never happen!”
While he did say fricking in that rant, Barkann didn’t say horrible. I replaced that for a certain curse word.
After Super Bowl LVII, Barkann was off the air until Thursday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The newspaper said he had been “benched.”
“Barkann wasn’t officially suspended by NBC Sports Philadelphia, according to network sources,” the Inquirer reported, “but he has been absent from its coverage since the incident.”
In his return to the air, Barkann apologized for losing his cool after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl.
“I’d like to apologize to our viewers and my colleagues for my remarks and my actions,” Barkann said, per the Inquirer. “My comments were unprofessional, inappropriate, opposed to the values that I hold dear, and the ones we uphold as a team here at NBC Sports Philadelphia.
“I take full responsibility for my actions and assure you that this is a learning experience for me, and this won’t happen again. I know what a privilege it is to enter your homes each and every day and each and every night. Never want to offend or disappoint you again.”
