NFL broadcaster Al Michaels had to quickly apologize for this Harvey Weinstein joke

Sports broadcaster Al Michaels is a legend. He's been broadcasting since the late 1960s, and he's the voice behind one of the most iconic calls in sports history.

But when you talk publicly that much for that long, you're going to say some things you probably shouldn't. Some jokes that are funny in your head might not translate so well to your audience.

Like the one he told Sunday, making a comparison between accused rapist Harvey Weinstein and the New York Giants.

The exchange

The following exchange between Michaels and his broadcast partner Cris Collinsworth took place during the third quarter of Sunday's NFL game between the New York Giants and the Denver Broncos:

Michaels: "I mean, let's face it; the Giants are coming off a worse week than Harvey Weinstein, and they're up by 14 points!"

Collinsworth: "Only my LA guy comes up with that one. There you go!" (Michaels graduated from high school in Los Angeles and currently resides in California)

Response and apology

NBC producers likely saw the immediate backlash on social media against the joke, and informed Michaels that it may have been in poor taste. So he apologized later in the broadcast.

While there's no reason to believe Michaels meant anything nefarious with his joke, many found it to be out of line to make a joke about Weinstein's behavior, especially considering that Hollywood stars made jokes about it for years as he was allowed to continue without consequence.

"Sorry I made a reference earlier before, I was trying to be a little flip about somebody obviously very much in the news all over the country and it was not meant in that manner," Michaels said in the fourth quarter. "So, my apologies, and we'll just leave it at that."

"Move on," Collinsworth responded.

NBC's reaction

An NBC spokesperson acknowledged that the remarks were inappropriate, but Michaels will not be disciplined.

“It was an inappropriate comment, and was acknowledged with an apology soon after on the telecast,” an NBC Sports spokesman told Fox News.