Last Saturday afternoon there was a rather interesting, not to mention eyebrow raising, comment made during ABC Sport’s college football game of the week that involved both a NASCAR race and driver Juan Pablo Montoya.
In the middle of a live national broadcast of a game between Ohio State and Minnesota, the members of the ABC broadcast team were asked to do a promo for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville-Virginia which was going to be broadcast live by ABC the following afternoon.
This promo involved a review of the top five drivers in NASCAR’s Chase For The Sprint Cup. Football analyst Chris Speilman noted that Juan Pablo Montoya was no longer in the top five and asked where he was. Fellow analyst Bob Griese quipped “he’s out having a taco.”
Apparently some executive network suit got a little nervous about the comment and was likely worried that Griese’s remarks might turn into an avalanche of protests from the PC, (politically correct), people.
Towards the end of the football game Griese issued the following statement: “Juan Pablo Montoya is one of the best drivers in NASCAR. I just want to apologize for the comment I made earlier in the ballgame.”
Was Griese’s comment necessary? No, it wasn’t
Was it appropriate? Again, no.
Was it politically correct? No, it wasn’t.
Do they even have taco restaurants in Montoya’s home town of Bogota,Columbia, South America? I honestly don’t know.
Was the comment funny? At the risk of being clobbered by emails form the PC crowd, hell yes it was funny and so was Griese’s lame apology at the end of the ballgame. Based on Montoya’s well known wry sense of humor I’m thinking he was laughing too.
Is there a gesture that could turn a perceived negative into an absolute positive? Why yes, there is. It just so happens that the NASCAR race at Martinsvile was sponsored by Tums the maker of those little tablets that magically soaks up stomach acidity from food indulgences such as the chipotle sauce often poured on tacos. It also turns out that Tums is an associate sponsor of Montoya’s Chevrolet.
If I were Juan Pablo Montoya I would consider sending a case of Tums to ABC Sport’s College Football Division with a nice note that reads: “thanks for the shout out guys, I hope you’re stomachs are feeling better.”
