Joe Buck Names the One Call From His Early NFL Days That He Still Regrets
Just like the athletes on the field that they narrate, broadcasters often have a play or two they’d like back. And sometimes those plays can bother them for decades.
For current ESPN play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, the call that still haunts him dates back to a playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers in 2005.
“The Randy Moss call, for sure,” Buck said when asked by ESPN’s Kevin Clark on the This Is Football podcast to name the one call he’d like back.
In the fourth quarter of that wild-card round clash, Vikings star receiver Randy Moss caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Daunte Culpepper. To celebrate the score, Moss waltzed over to the goalposts and fake mooned the Packers fans at Lambeau Field.
“That is a disgusting act by Randy Moss,” Buck said on the broadcast. “And it’s unfortunate that we had that on our air live.”
“The more time that goes on, the more I think, ‘Man, I can’t believe that ever came out of my mouth,’” Buck told Clark.
We ask every guest what play they'd like to have back. The call Joe Buck wants back? Easy. The Randy Moss "That's a disgusting act" call against the Packers.
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) January 24, 2024
"The more time that goes on the more I think 'man I can't believe that ever came out of my mouth.'" WATCH: pic.twitter.com/1k5n0TH45m
Moss later explained that his celebration was in reference to Packers fans mooning the Vikings’ team bus upon arrival at Lambeau Field.
“I understand it more than I did in that moment,” Buck told Clark. “It’s not something that keeps me up at night, but knowing more information now, that was one that I would probably pull back a little bit on.”
Buck and his ESPN crew finished their 2023 NFL season in the divisional round, as FOX will air the NFC championship and CBS will broadcast the AFC championship and Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.