Al Michaels told by TNF viewers to retire after embarrassing Arthur Smith blunder
Al Michaels went viral after mixing up Arthur Smith’s coaching history during Thursday Night Football, sparking fan calls for the 80-year-old to retire
Al Michaels has called more iconic moments than most broadcasters dream of, but Thursday night might have been one he'd rather forget. Viewers of Amazon Prime Video's Thursday Night Football flooded social media to continue the trend of demanding that the seasoned commentator retire after a mistake made during the Cincinnati Bengals–Pittsburgh Steelers broadcast.
While discussing the Steelers' offense, Michaels said that Arthur Smith was "once the head coach of the Titans." The only problem was that Smith was never Tennessee's head coach and instead served as the Titans' offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2020 before taking over as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2021 to 2023.
He's now the Steelers' offensive coordinator, and for some NFL fans, that slip-up was seemingly unforgivable. "Is Al Michaels done? Lots of mistakes and just said Smith was the former coach of the Titans," one fan wrote on X. "When is it just time?"
Another added, "Lmao, did Al Michaels just say Arthur Smith was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans? On live TV?!"
Fans urged respecting Michaels' legacy but also asked him to consider retiring due to his energy levels and pronunciation issues during broadcasts.
He accidentally referred to Bengals running back Chase Brown as Chase Daniel, a former NFL quarterback who hasn't started an NFL game since 2019.
Moments later, Michaels caught even more heat for what fans described as a "lifeless" play call during a crucial second-quarter drive. After Joe Flacco completed a short left pass to Ja'Marr Chase for 15 yards, Michaels narrated the moment simply as, "He makes the catch and falls down, right there."
The call went viral almost instantly, with fans calling it one of the "most boring calls in football." The replay booth eventually overturned the completion, but fans online weren't too focused on the ruling.
Instead, they focused on Michaels, with some labeling him "washed," while others said he "doesn’t know what he's watching” or that he no longer belongs in the workforce.
One viewer wrote that Michaels "sounds like he's sleeping instead of watching football."
The growing criticism has been building week by week.
Last week's broadcast of the Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers saw Michaels miss multiple calls, including a phantom fumble that never actually occurred. That error once again triggered calls for his retirement.
Michaels is 80 years old and joined Amazon Prime Video in 2022 after his legendary run on Sunday Night Football at NBC. He helped the program become primetime's top-rated show for 13 straight years.
The veteran broadcaster moved to Amazon on a reported $15 million annual salary, which is roughly $45 million over three seasons. The contract makes him one of the highest-paid broadcasters in sports history.