Cris Collinsworth Apologizes for Comment on Female NFL Fans During NBC Broadcast

NBC Sports color commentator Cris Collinsworth issued an apology after being criticized for remarks about female football fans during Wednesday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Collinsworth, a former NFL wide receiver, was discussing how strong the sports fandom was in Pittsburgh when he made a comment that drew some viewers' ire.

"Everybody's a fan. In particular, the ladies that I met," he said (via Chris Bumbaca of USA Today). "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 posted a statement Wednesday night on Twitter:

Collinsworth has served as the lead color commentator for NBC's Sunday Night Football since 2009, when he replaced retiring broadcasting legend and Hall of Fame coach John Madden.

The 61-year-old Ohio native, who spent his entire eight-year NFL playing career with the Cincinnati Bengals, worked Wednesday's rescheduled game with Mike Tirico.

He usually works alongside Al Michaels, another legend of the broadcast booth, on Sunday nights.

The pair received some criticism in October for making several overt comments about being told they needed to wear masks while broadcasting a game between the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium in California amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Collinsworth has also appeared on NBC's coverage of the Olympics alongside with previous work for the NFL Network and Showtime's Inside The NFL. He also owns a stake in Pro Football Focus, a website dedicated to giving performance-based grades to every player.

His next NBC assignment is Sunday night's clash between the AFC West rival Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.