Brent Musburger addresses viral Katherine Webb moment

Feb 24, 2009; Columbus, OH, USA; ESPN announcer Brent Musberger talks on-air before the tip-off of Penn State Nittany Lions against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

It has been nearly a decade since former ESPN college football announcer Brent Musburger came under fire for commenting on Katherine Webb’s good looks, but fans still discuss the infamous TV moment. Apparently Musburger does, too.

Webb, who has been Webb-McCarron since she married former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron back in 2014, was in the stands for the Crimson Tide’s 2013 BCS National Championship Game against Notre Dame. When she was shown by ESPN’s cameras, Musburger called her a “beautiful woman” and joked that star quarterbacks get all the pretty women (video here). He faced a lot of criticism and later apologized.

Brian Kelly was Notre Dame’s head coach at the time. His team lost 42-14 in a one-sided affair. During a recent appearance on “The Shamrock” podcast with Pete Sampson and Matt Fortuna, Musburger revealed that he often jokes with Kelly about how he took the heat off the now-LSU coach during and after Notre Dame’s blowout loss.

“I still tease him that when he got blown out in that national championship game by Alabama. I took all the heat off him because I called a beauty queen beautiful. I was the villain that night in the eyes of the media, especially the woke journalists in some of the papers around the country. And I say, ‘Coach, you would have been under the gun if it wasn’t for me,’ and he laughs.”

You can hear Musburger’s comments below:

☘️The Shamrock☘️

After a weekend in Vegas, @Matt_Fortuna and I talked Notre Dame past and present with the great Brent Musburger, who has a running joke with Brian Kelly from the 2012 BCS National Championship Game

Apple:https://t.co/Hgdvb5mC2Q
Spotify:https://t.co/BR31MjFrqP pic.twitter.com/93NnfD5RcI

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) October 11, 2022

In the years since Musburger’s 2013 remarks, Webb-McCarron has told people to lay off Musburger and thanked him for helping her career. She defended him once again during a recent social media Q&A.

Musburger has a point about Kelly. He definitely stole a few headlines away from Notre Dame, which was probably beneficial for the Fighting Irish given how poorly they played.