Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images Sportscaster Terry Bradshaw interviews QB Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles after the Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC Championship on January 29, 2023.
After the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers to advance to Super Bowl LVII, Pittsburgh Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw took to the stage on behalf of FOX Sports to emcee the Eagles’ championship trophy presentation. Long story short, NFL fans and some media found a lot to dislike about Bradshaw’s work, with one columnist going so far as to blame him for “ruining” the celebration.
Things got off to a rocky start, with Bradshaw struggling to enunciate as he encouraged former Eagles defensive back Brian Dawkins to present the NFC Championship trophy to Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie.
“Very good idea putting Terry on the podium,” tweeted one observer, sarcastically, no doubt unaware that Bradshaw’s difficulties speaking are a result of his recent health challenges.
Bradshaw, 74, has been battling two different types of cancer in the past year, undergoing surgery for bladder cancer and a rare form of skin cancer that required surgery on his neck.
Bradshaw continued to labor through interviews with Jeffrey Lurie and Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, with one New York Giants fan opining that Bradshaw “made a mockery of the trophy presentation with his stupid questions.”
Terry Bradshaw Prompted Eagles QB Jalen Hurts to Sing
Yet the most significant criticism came as a result of Bradshaw’s somewhat awkward interactions with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and several of the team’s linemen, the latter of whom he referred to as “all you uglies.” Calling offensive and defensive linemen “big uglies” might be a term of endearment in football parlance, but it might not be understood that way by casual observers, as reflected by this particular Twitter comment.
The icing on the cake came when Bradshaw prompted Hurts to lead the fans at Lincoln Financial Field in a rendition of the Eagles fight song ‘Fly, Eagles, Fly,’ a performance that was not well received by the critics on social media.
“Jalen Hurts was under more pressure when Terry Bradshaw handed him the microphone to lead fly Eagles fly then he ever will be in an actual football game,” wrote one Titans fan.
Jalen Hurts was under more pressure when Terry Bradshaw handed him the microphone to lead fly Eagles fly then he ever will be in an actual football game #FlyEaglesFly #Eagles
“Jalen Hurts plays some great football, however he might need some singing lessons,” observed one sportswriter.
Jalen Hurts plays some great football, however he might need some singing lessons. #FlyEaglesFly
“His singing voice is my level. Car and shower only. Lol,” wrote a Philadelphia area athletic trainer.
Or, was Hurts’ performance so bad that it was good?
One fan said that “Jalen Hurts singing the Eagles fight song is the best-worst thing I’ve ever heard.”
E🦅A🦅G🦅L🦅E🦅S!
Jalen Hurts singing the EAGLES fight song is the best-worst thing I’ve ever heard.
Another quipped: “I could not love this train wreck more!”
The FOX NFL Sunday Audience Has Been Critical of Bradshaw’s On-Air Performance
On a more serious note, it’s not the first time that Bradshaw has come under fire in recent months. For example, on November 6, 2022, he was heavily criticized for making an off-color suicide comment that two of his colleagues described as “a little dark.”
Bradshaw has been a part of the FOX NFL Sunday crew since the show’s inception in 1994. He was drafted by the Steelers No. 1 overall in 1970 and went on to win four Super Bowls before his career came to an end in 1983. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 1989.