A video has emerged of a 1984 Monday Night Football interview featuring a young Cris Collinsworth, sporting what appears to be the remnants of a home perm.
Links to the clip now appear at places like With Leather, Deadspin, and The Big Lead.
To his credit, Collinsworth isn’t running from his past. He has issued a statement regarding the situation. It came without a request for comment; we’re told that he wanted to address the situation affirmatively and proactively.
“As a family man I am extremely embarrassed by an interview I did when I was in
my early twenties about dating,” Collinsworth said. “My comments were insulting, immature, and
foolishly intended as a joke. They do not reflect how I lived my life then . . . or
now. I was asked to do something humorous about dating, and it has been a major
embarrassment to me since the day I said it. I apologize to anyone who has ever
had the misfortune to see it now or a quarter-century ago.”
(We assume that the apology is sufficiently broad to cover the fact that he subjected us to the remnants of his home perm. If so, apology accepted.)
And we hope that most people realized from the get-go that Collinsworth was being facetious, since the monologue had that “chicks dig me because I rarely wear underwear and when I do it’s usually something unusual” vibe from Bill Murray in Stripes.
Still, kudos to Cris for taking the initiative now that, somehow, the video has surfaced.
Are we fully objective on this one? Probably not. For starters, we sort of enjoy being part of the NBC family now, so our human nature is going to kick in as it relates to other members of the NBC family. Also, we ran into Cris the morning after the Hall of Fame game, and he was incredibly gracious to my wife and my son, who would have his first official middle school football practice that night and who received meaningful and enthusiastic encouragement from Cris about the sport.
So let’s take the video for what it is — a 25-year-old clip from a guy who was 25 years old at the time and who, like most 25-year-olds will do from time to time, said something that he thought would be perceived as funny (and might have been indeed been regarded as humorous at the time), but two-and-a-half decades later it isn’t.
And I can’t really say much about the apparent remnants of a home perm. In 1984, I had a mullet. With a rat tail.
god, you’re writing is extremely annoying when you ramble. keep it short and simple, for the love of god.
Florio sorry to say, but your hair hasn’t improved much since 1984. You go from a mullet with a rat tail to a Flowbee cut 25 years later? Great move buddy.
He looks like that Wooderson from Dazed and Confused. “That’s what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age”
Florio, you’re a West Virginian- of course you had a mullet in the 80′s. The only surprise is that you don’t STILL have one.
I thought the interview was funny as hell…….
I’m surprised he didn’t mention how much Tom Brady is a good quarterback in that video
Come on, that video was funny
does he remind anyone else of David Wooderson from Dazed and Confused? I can just see him saying this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo4kDrWBa6c
collinsworth is creepy.
OK, I was ready to call this a simple case of people needing to pull the sticks out of their asses and lighten up. Then I watched the video. Yeah, he’s being facetious, but since when are statutory rape jokes (the part where he says he likes 14-18 yr olds) funny?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo4kDrWBa6c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDaBAqlJv6I
do you lie kissing collinsworths butt because he doesnt wear underwear?
I think it’s sad that he had to apologize. It was obviously a joke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhP9mSMT0OE
He was actually more entertaining to watch then.
This story is Bignothingsville.
Does anyone actually think this wasn’t meant as a joke? Sad…
I’m not a huge Collinsworth fan (nor a fan of any announcer who regularly compares things to when they were playing) but really, its sad that he had to address this, but says a lot about him that he took it head on.
i don’t know which is more shocking , the clip or that even with hundred dollar bill hanging out of his pocket collingsworth can get laid
One has to wonder what your reaction would be if a player said something like that today, Florio?
What a crock this site has become. If any athlete you have an agenda against was making jokes about dating 14 year old girls, you’d be all over them. Instead it was a guy who works for NBC who also was nice to your kid, so you decided to take it easy on him.
It got me thinking – did Mike Vick crap in your kid’s face or something.?
The more I think about this, the more I think it’s an example of what’s wrong with Florio’s current corporate whore status.
What does the story mean for Collinsworth? Eh, not much. But, a correct headline for it would be “Collinsworth apologizes for implying he’s a statutory rapist in 25-yr old video”. That’s what he did, and that’s why it’s a story at all. Instead, we get Florio making silly jokes about hair, never using the word “rape” at all when THAT’S THE STORY!! In short, a complete whitewash.
Then, he tells us how he thinks Collinsworth is a swell guy because he was nice to his son. Well, gee, that’s great. And, it’s good that he admits that. But it shouldn’t impact what he reports, and it clearly did here. Why do I have a bad feeling that Florio will soon descend to the level of Peter King and Bill Simmons? Once they buddy up to their subjects, it’s all over.
“So let’s take the video for what it is — a 25-year-old clip from a guy who was 25 years old at the time and who, like most 25-year-olds will do from time to time, said something that he thought would be perceived as funny (and might have been indeed been regarded as humorous at the time), but two-and-a-half decades later it isn’t.”
And with that sentence, you have just called every article you have written about any athlete 25 and younger that chastises them for something they have said, complete bunk and a clicks grab. I’ll be sure to post this quote every time it’s fitting.
So let’s take the video for what it is — a 25-year-old clip from a guy who was 25 years old at the time and who, like most 25-year-olds will do from time to time, said something that he thought would be perceived as funny (and might have been indeed been regarded as humorous at the time), but two-and-a-half decades later it isn’t.
God only knows what would have happened had our “new world” media been around then. I appreciate you giving a 25-year-old a pass for something once said, NBC offiliation ommited, but I feel like this post makes me want to hold your feet to the fire in 25 years when you have posted the material you have. As outlandish as that sounds, players are raked over the coals for comments such as those (this site included) these days.
I appreciate the fact that you have moved under the NBC umbrella, hell, it is the American dream… Wouldn’t we all enjoy being paid handsomely for following the sport we all love, but there has been an obvious shift in content on the site. We all will continue to log on, and unique visitors will grow, but I am confident in saying that the vision of this sight has changed. I have never posted a comment, I never intended to do so, nor will I ever again make a comment, but I felt this post is very much indicative of things to come.
I think Chris Collinsworth should be given a pass based on his history, how long ago it was, how young he was, and that he was clearly joking. But the bigger story here is that it is absolutely true that it is very hypocritical of you to give him a pass when you fail to do the same to so many others. I remember many very critical comments you made about Kurt Warner (and others) with basically no grounds. I love the info on the site, but think you should give others the same treatment as you give your buddy Chris.
Chris’ statutory rape comments get excused by you, and Warners good deeds get mocked. Ironic.
So where’s Taco Bill with the image of Florio rocking the mullet?
Does seem like a bit of a double standard here Mike… are there any other players or commentators you’re planning on giving a free pass for making “I like dating stupid 14 year old girls” comments?
So Reggie Bush and Bret Favre need to get a job at NBC or be nicer to your kid?
I feel that my sentiment will be echoed….
I, at one time in my life, hated Chris Collinsworth, because everything he says during a game comes up short of a dime and a nickel. However, after viewing that clip….Chris, call me…….
That was too funny, society today is, unfortunately, too sensitive for that humor….
If only Florio Jr. could walk around with $100 bills hanging out of his pockets tricking 14-18 year olds to hook up with him… wait a minute… thanks NBC!
@VoxVeritas, I thought the exact same thing when I first saw him on the vid. Matthew McConaughey all the way.
There was nothing wrong at all with the very funny and clearly not serious comments Collinsworth made in that video.
What’s wrong is that he had to apologize so profusely for them.
I really don’t know any males who haven’t said worse. Of course there has to be double standard
because he is now such a public figure.
biggest NON-controversy I’ve seen in months. Not knocking you because it’s already been reported, you’re just commenting but seriously!?!
women love famous athletes for there money !?! they use it to attract them!?! shocker! lmao. we like to pretend certain things are so pure and clean in America when they really aren’t and if we’d learn to admit/address things we’d be much better off. then maybe we could skip all these bullsh*t, publicist-driven apologies for things that the people apologizing lose no sleep over and in cases like this shouldn’t even feel the need to comment on.
then again being 26 myself maybe I’m just too dumb to get it and will be apologizing for this post myself 20-something years from now. lmao
the 14-18 thing was a lil bit much but he was obviously kidding and it seems that someone edited out the end where he probably said just that.
some dork looking for attention found this clip and is looking for his 15 minutes now that Collinsworth has a big gig.
Why is something from 25 years ago even brought up except to discredit a fellow NBC employee?
Fine way to treat a co-worker.
Well some will never forget that you were foolish enough to endorse Barack Hussein Obama on your blog.
Or the Terry Bradshaw premature demise.
or a number of other things that attempted to be funny but in 25 years will look very foolish.
PFT
objectivity at an all time low.
senseless corporate azkissing, drooling and babbling at an all time high.
collinsworth is a tool.
I got the new Madden 2010 for the X-Box 360 back on the day it was released.
Within the first 5 minutes of playing the game I was already sick of hearing Collinsworth speak…
This is a farce…Collinsworth was attempting humor…a lame attempt at humor but humor nonetheless.
Honestly, don’t even think it was worth putting up as a post.
And wipe the brown off your nose, Florio! : 0
Who’s the bigger scumbag, I wonder. You or Collinsworth?…
taco bill needs to also produce an actual photo of florio’s (attached thru skin and bone) real rat-tail.
Yawn! Lets start going back over everything anyone of us said in our past and issue apologizes. Come now, he was being honest and used self-deprecating humor to hammer home a point. That is the kind of open interview you won’t find anymore and the reason no one should watch interviews anymore. Everyone is so scared to speak openly, interviews are simply speeches. Oh occasionally someone says something that can be interpreted different ways and the media gets all wet, but really until the media redefines what was meant to be said, no one really cared.
Now just in case I have ever said anything that could be reinterpreted let me say, ” I apologize if I have ever said or done anything that would offend, hurt or disturbs people while they are eating there whole grain wheat bread while they show off their children’s “participation ribbons” at the family breakfast table in the midst of sending their little automatons off to robot school, for I was young and ignorant and was not understanding of the feelings of other and wrongly used humor to inject life into the world, please forgive me”
Florio just doesn’t know what’s news and what isn’t. It’s clear he doesn’t know the NFL when you see all of the factual inaccuracies. Hey Florio, how about some perfection?
Florio with a Mullet? Cool! Any video? Or photos? Let’s see it!