“He Needs To Retire,” “Get Him off the Air”: NFL Fans Blast Al Michaels for Claiming Drake Maye, Caleb Williams Were Drafted in 2014

Sports commentator Al Michaels had an embarrassing blunder during Thursday’s game between the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots. He and Kirk Herbstreit were in the Prime Video booth at Soldier Field for the game.

During the second quarter, Michaels made a mistake while discussing quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. He said both quarterbacks were drafted during the 2014 NFL Draft instead of the 2024 Draft.

Fans on social media criticized Al Michaels for mislabeling Caleb Williams and Drake Maye as 2014 draft picks.

“Al Michaels needs to retire,” one fan commented.

“Al Michaels just called the class of 2024 the class of 2014 get him OFF THE AIR,” another fan said.

Here are a few other reactions:

The Bears drafted Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in 2024. So far this season, he has been limited to three games due to a hamstring injury and has recorded 712 passing yards and three TDs.

Meanwhile, the Patriots drafted Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick that same year. Before Thursday’s game, he helped his team put up a 4-2 record while posting 1,463 passing yards and 11 TDs, along with 185 rushing yards and a TD.

This isn’t the first time Michaels has been called out for on-air blunders. Last week, during the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Denver Broncos game, he drew heavy criticism for calling wide receiver Marvin Mims Marvin Jones.

Al Michaels began his broadcasting career back in 1967. He landed his first sportscasting gig as a color commentator on the Los Angeles Lakers’ radio broadcasts and also did the team’s public relations. In 1977, he signed with ABC full-time before taking over as the lead baseball announcer in 1983. He also covered other sports including football and basketball.

In 2006, he joined NBC and called Sunday Night Football Games. The 81-year-old joined Amazon as a full-time play-by-play announcer for Thursday Night Football in 2022.

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