Fans Are Saying the Same Thing About Al Michaels 'Reprobate' Comment on 'TNF'

'Thursday Night Football' play-by-play man Al Michaels has been in broadcasting for nearly six decades, so it is understandable that some of his references are, at this point, a bit dated. That was the case this week in New Orleans, when the final moments of the Broncos' blowout of the Saints set up Michaels for one of his favorite jokes: The subtle nod to the seedy world of sports gambling.

Except, of course, in 2024, most sports fans have an app on their phones that allows them to place a bet at any waking moment, and all major sports leagues now have a gambling partner. No longer are wagers placed in dark alleys behind dingy bars.

In the final four minutes of the Broncos' blowout win, the score sat at 33-3, but rather than lay down, Saints coach Dennis Allen attempted to put together a positive drive and come away with at least one touchdown on the night.

Makes sense. But as many noted, the over/under for the game sat at 37 (via Vegas Insider's "consensus "), so a a little more scoring would sit well with those who had picked the over.

With 1:25 to go, the Saints had driven down to the Denver 12-yard line, and even called a timeout to stop the clock. That set up Michaels to dust off one of his favorite jokes: the veiled nod to sports gambling.

"They take a timeout here," Michaels said , "which is music to the ears of some of our reprobate friends."

Almost as predicatable as Michaels making the joke was the reaction among fans to that joke.

As Billy Ward of The Action Network wrote on Twitter/X: "Why does Al Michaels still do the winking acknowledgement that gambling exists when we're about to see three FanDuel commercials immediately afterwards?"

The game did, of course, go over. And reprobates everywhere rejoiced. (Except those who had the under.)