The action got underway right from the start of Saturday’s AFC Wild Card game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, as the Chiefs returned the opening kickoff to the Houston 32-yard line.
As Texans defensive back Kris Boyd sailed in to make a tackle on the play, he forced a fumble that appeared to turn the tide of the game. Unfortunately for Houston, the energy faded again quickly as Kansas City recovered the fumble.
Meanwhile, Boyd was then called for a penalty celebrating the tackle and caught by ESPN shoving his special teams coach.
Going into a commercial break following the crazy play, ESPN announcer Joe Buck set up the situation as the broadcast showed a replay of Boyd shoving coach Frank Ross. From that point on, however, ESPN flew past the play and Boyd’s response the rest of the game.
As a result, Buck, game analyst Troy Aikman and sideline reporter Lisa Salters were criticized for ignoring the significance of the moment and not following up on any punishment or blowback for Boyd.
Sports media reporters Andrew Marchand of The Athletic and Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports both noted Buck and Aikman glossing over the moment in posts on X.
After the game, Boyd told reporters that he and Ross had made up, explaining that he let his emotions get the best of him and that he misunderstood Ross’s feedback at the moment. While Ross was reminding Boyd to stay focused since it was still early in the game, Boyd was caught off guard because he had just made a big play.
“That’s not in my character, I love everybody here,” Boyd said. “I love my coaches. I would never disrespect nobody … I love Frank.”
In the aftermath of his mistake, Boyd shared more of his perspective on Instagram, saying that he did not realize in the heat of the moment that he had been called for a penalty.
“The media won’t assassinate me as (if) I’m a bad person,” Boyd wrote. He also shared a screenshot of a message he said he received on Instagram calling him a racial slur.
That complexity of the situation speaks to the delicate balance the ESPN crew faces in a moment like that. Given that the penalty and shove ultimately proved relatively unimportant once Kansas City recovered the fumble, perhaps the play did not deserve more attention.
At the same time, once Buck narrated the incident on-air, it created an expectation among viewers for a follow-up. If anything, given that Boyd was back in the game afterward, it would have allowed Aikman to speak to the incident as a former player.
ESPN doesn’t have full control over how the audience experiences a moment, but failing to tie up this loose end was probably a misstep it would change in hindsight.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.