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NBC Sports Commentator Cris Collinsworth Apologizes for Female NFL Fans Remark

Jordan Moreau
·2 min read

Cris Collinsworth, a commentator for NBC Sports, has apologized for a remark he made about female NFL fans during a Wednesday night football game.

During the NFL game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, Collinsworth says he was “blown away” by questions asked by female football fans in Pittsburgh.

“Everybody’s a fan. In particular, the ladies that I met. They have really specific questions about the game, and I’m like, ‘Wow.’ You’re just blown away by how strong the fans are here in this town,” he said during the broadcast, which can be seen in a video posted to Twitter below.

After receiving backlash on social media, Collinsworth issued an apology on Twitter for his comments, which he said he intended to be a compliment.

“Today on our broadcast I made reference to a couple of women that I met in Pittsburgh who so impressed me with their football knowledge that I wanted to tell their story on the air,” he wrote on Wednesday night. “I know the way I phrased it insulted many. I’m so sorry. What I intended as a compliment to the fans of Pittsburgh became an insult. I’m sick about insulting any fan, but especially female fans and journalists. I know firsthand how much harder they have to work than any of us in this industry. I was wrong and I deeply apologize.”

Collinsworth has been the lead commentator on NBC’s Sunday Night Football since 2009, and he called Wednesday’s highly anticipated Ravens-Steelers game after it was rescheduled multiple times due to an outbreak of COVID-19 cases on the teams. Before becoming a sports announcer, he played for the Cincinnati Bengals for eight years.

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