ESPN Denies Musburger Said Sideline Reporter Was 'Smokin' Tonight'

On Tuesday, ESPN strangely denied Brent Musburger said sideline reporter Holly Rowe was “really smokin’ tonight.” Instead, ESPN is claiming Musburger said “it was smokin’ tonight” and not “who was really smokin’ tonight.” 

On Monday night, the veteran play-by-play announcer returned to the airwaves for the first time since calling Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron’s girlfriend, a former Miss Alabama and model, “beautiful.” He signed off ESPN’s “Big Monday” college basketball broadcast by saying:

“For Fran Fraschilla and Holly Rowe, who was really smokin’ tonight, I want to say, ‘so long from Lawrence.'”

Musburger, fully aware of the firestorm his comments about Webb caused last monday, was being mischievous and sticking it to the politically correct crowd, telling them he does not care what they think.

But on Tuesday, after the network received numerous inquires for comment on Musburger’s comments, Josh Krulewitz, a spokesman for ESPN, said the network’s official line is, “Brent said the word ‘it.’ We are moving on.” 

He said the network would not comment further on Musburger’s remarks. Krulewitz even tweeted the company’s official line:

Simply stated: “Brent said the word ‘it.’ We are moving on.”

— Josh Krulewitz (@jksports) January 15, 2013

After the politically correct crowd pressured ESPN last week, the network apologized for Musburger’s calling a beautiful woman “beautiful” even the Webb said she was flattered and her father said the media was overreacting and Musburger deserved “a break.” Musburger, though, did not issue an apology. 

ESPN’s comments, for which they have been resoundingly mocked by those who were watching the broadcast or have seen the clip of Musburger’s remarks, are bizarre because, when one examines the tape, it is clear Musburger said “who” and not “it,” as ESPN is claiming he said. It seems like ESPN is trying to tell its viewers that they really did not hear what they heard.