Al Michaels Leaves Everyone Shocked After Committing ‘Cardinal Sin’ On Thursday Night Football [VIDEO]
One small mistake turned into a big problem.
Longtime announcer Al Michaels stunned football fans on Thursday night after a big slip-up about Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Michaels called the Falcons’ game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field for Amazon Prime Video. Early in the game, he tried to give viewers some background on Penix’s college career.
The 81-year-old broadcaster said Penix started at Indiana before spending “two great years at Oregon.” That statement immediately caught the attention of college football fans.
Penix didn’t play for Oregon, he played for Washington, and those two schools are bitter rivals. That made the mix-up even more dangerous.
Michaels fixed his mistake right away and kept calling the game, but by then, fans online were already having a field day with it.
Fans React After Michaels’ Major Slip-Up
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (Photo By Kyle Terada-Imagn Images)
Football fans did not take long to call out Michaels for mixing up Washington and Oregon.
🚨🚨TRENDING🚨🚨
#NFL fans are calling for legendary broadcaster Al Michaels to RETIRE after another rough night in the booth.
“Penix spent two great years at Oregon.”
Michaels has also consistently gotten names wrong throughout tonight’s broadcast.
😬 https://t.co/ijbtDLIU7i
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) September 25, 2026
One fan wrote on X, “Al Michaels just committed the cardinal sin of football, saying Michael Penix had ‘two great years at Oregon.’ He corrected himself after my blood pressure had already spike.”
Another user wrote, “Al Michaels is already drunk. He said Michael Penix went to Oregon when he actually went to Washington.”
A third fan posted, “Al Michaels just said Penix played at Oregon after Indiana. Flying out of the gate.”
Another viewer pointed out how quickly someone corrected Michaels during the broadcast.
“Al Michaels really just said ‘started his career at Indiana, then two great years at Oregon’ bruh Someone got in his ear to correct him right away, but confusing Washington for their rival won’t make fans happy,” the user wrote.
This is just another week of criticism for Michaels.
Last Thursday Night, Michaels discussed Donald Trump’s failed attempt to buy the Buffalo Bills. He noted that Ralph Wilson’s successor, Terry Pegula, bought the team for $1.4 billion in 2014.
Michaels also mentioned Trump’s reported $1 billion bid and said the league chose Pegula instead.
Now, fans are calling Michaels out again for getting a basic fact wrong about Michael Penix Jr. He messed up an obvious college rivalry, and people online quickly turned the slip-up into the biggest joke of the broadcast.
