The NFL Playoffs are about a month away, but it looks as if they will be missing Al Michaels, one of the most iconic voices in the history of NFL broadcasts.
Michaels has been removed from the coverage of NBC for the 2024 NFL playoffs, according to a report by the New York Post.
Despite his storied career that includes calling 11 Super Bowls, the 79-year-old has faced criticism over the last few years for becoming a more meek and passive broadcaster.
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The criticism has also coincided with his move from NBC to Amazon Prime Video, where he calls "Thursday Night Football." Amazon does not have the rights to a playoff game for this season.
NBC's decision to replace Michaels had already been worked on for a while, but the broadcaster was reportedly unaware and told The Post in November that calling the NFL Playoffs was part of his contract.
“It’s in my deal,” Michaels told The Post. “Where are you hearing that from? That’s part of my deal. Are you hearing something that I’m not hearing?”
This year is likely not the last we'll hear of Michaels on air though as his contract with Amazon Prime Video has one more year, and he's made it known that he will be fulfilling that final year.
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NBC will be airing three playoff games, with two that will be called by the network's lead broadcast team, Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth, who are the same two that call "Sunday Night Football."
The other playoff game will be called by Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge, who are the network's lead broadcasters for college football. The Post reported that NBC is "very high" on the duo after one season as the lead play callers for Big Ten football.
Eagle, who is the son of Ian Eagle, another top sports broadcaster for the NFL and NBA, is just 27 years old, which shows that NBC is betting big on youth over the legendary Michaels' cache.
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