Al Michaels’ removal from playoff coverage getting linked to broadcaster’s comments on Taylor Swift leaves fans fuming: “NFL is a joke”

Veteran broadcaster Al Michaels will not be part of NBC's NFL playoff coverage and rumors suggest Taylor Swift might have something to do with that. The singer has burst into football fans' consciousness ever since she started dating Travis Kelce. It has led to a lot of focus on the broadcasts, not even always limited to the Kansas City Chiefs games, where her presence has been inserted into the programming.

Al Michaels has made some comments regarding this:

"You can't make the sideshow the show."

He referred to the focus and attention on Taylor Swift as the sideshow. It is in stark contrast to the position even the NFL has taken on this matter, as the league seems to be basking in the attention from the legion of fans of the singer, who call themselves "Swifties". The social media and broadcast channels have leaned in heavily to the connections with the singer.

And because Al Michaels looks to be opposed to Taylor Swift's larger-than-life presence in the games, it allegedly put him at odds with the broadcasters, as per the latest rumors. It was reported that this might be the reason why he has been dropped for the playoffs:

Rumors circulate about reason for Al Michaels' dropping from playoff duty

Fans lambast NBC for removing Al Michaels from playoff coverage

Fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to voice their displeasure at the purported reason why Al Michaels has been dropped. Here are some of the best reactions on X:

Sample of some reactions on X/Twitter

Is Taylor Swift really to blame?

Even though the rumor has become popular on social media, there is no confirmation yet whether Taylor Swift is the reason why the veteran broadcaster has been dumped.

In fact, the reason might be more banal. Al Michaels has already been given the title "emeritus" at NBC and while that does not explain what his role is, it is not surprising to see the network promote from their regular cast. The Sunday Night Football team of Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and sideline reporter Melissa Stark will be calling the games. Tirico has long awaited his chance behind Michaels and NBC might be looking at giving him the opportunity going forward.

Al Michaels also has a chance with Thursday Night Football and if Amazon were to get playoff games in the future, he is sure to have a chance there. As it stands, though, the veteran broadcaster's absence from the playoffs this season looks more to be a function of age than his comments about Taylor Swift.