ESPN commentator Mike Tirico on the sidelines as the Jacksonville Jaguars host the New York Giants on ESPN Monday Night Football Nov. 20, 2006 in Jacksonville. The Jaguars won 26 - 10.
NFL

The NFL does damage control after it says no to Mike Tirico broadcasting Thursday games

The NFL implies it's got nothing against Mike Tirico and points the finger at NBC.

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The NFL reportedly nixed NBC's plans to use Mike Tirico to broadcast Thursday night games this season, and is now pointing the finger at the network.

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NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy released a statement that said NBC agreed to use its lead broadcast team (Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth) for both its Thursday and Sunday night broadcasts.

RELATED: The NFL tells NBC it doesn't want Mike Tirico calling Thursday night games

To summarize the NFL's response, they basically say, "NBC can use Tirico if they want, but they better use him for both Thursday and Sunday night games."

Why the NFL wants the same "lead" broadcast crew for both Thursday and Sunday games remains a mystery. Would fans really care if Tirico called play-by-play on Thursday games while Michaels did just Sunday games? Someone in the NFL must think so.

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