‘Creepy’ football commentator reveals his version of viral live TV moment

A cult football figure has revealed his version of events leading up to his infamous live TV comment about the partner of a star player.

Nearly a decade later, and football commentator Brent Musburger can remember the aftermath following his viral Katherine Webb comments as if it was yesterday.

The veteran TV caller changed two lives forever when he made a gushing comment about Webb, who was the girlfriend — and now wife — of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron, during a live broadcast when the cameras found her in the grandstand during the 2013 BCS National Championship Game.

Viewers complained that veteran commentator Musburger — who was 73 at the time — was being creepy and objectifying the former Miss Alabama.

During an appearance on “The Shamrock” podcast this week the now 83-year-old joked about how his remarks “took all the heat off” his pal and former Notre Dame coach, Brian Kelly, whose Fighting Irish were decimated by the Crimson Tide 42-14.

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“Coach Kelly, who I know very well now down at LSU, having left Notre Dame, I still tease him that when he got blown out by Alabama in that national championship game, I took all the heat off him because I called a beauty queen beautiful,” Musburger said.

Katherine Webb as seen on the ESPN broadcast.

Miss Alabama Katherine Webb at the BSC college championship game.

“I was the villain that night, in the eyes of the media, especially the woke journalists of some of the papers around the country. I say, ‘Coach, you’d have been under the gun if it wasn’t for me.’ He laughs. He’s a good old politician, we’ll see what he does.”

ESPN made an official apology at the time for his comment.

He infamously said: “When you’re a quarterback at Alabama, you see that lovely lady there? She does go to Auburn but she also is Miss Alabama and that’s A.J. McCarron’s girlfriend. … You quarterbacks, you get all the good-looking women. What a beautiful woman. Wow.”

Webb turned the media storm into a modelling and television and has publicly told fans to give Musburger a break, saying he has nothing to apologise for.

Katherine Webb as seen on the ESPN broadcast.

Webb, who later married McCarron, with whom she shares three children, also addressed the widely seen moment in an Instagram Story this past February, when she implored critics to back off Musburger.

At the time, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit alum was asked by a fan if she and Musburger had crossed paths.

“I haven’t but we have exchanged friendly statements thru separate interviews,” Webb replied. “Listen leave that man alone he didn’t do nuthin wrong LOL.”

— This story originally appeared on nypost.comand has been republished with permission