Kate Abdo, Jamie Carragher and the CBS Sports team were left stunned by the reaction to the ex-Liverpool star's ill-fated joke about the anchor's love life.
CBS Sports' Champions League coverage is renowned for its light-hearted banter between Abdo and her colleagues Carragher, Micah Richards and Thierry Henry. The former central defender went too far on one occasion earlier this year however.
Carragher questioned the loyalty of Abdo towards her now husband Malik Scott, in a piece of banter that failed to land both in the studio and at home. The veteran pundit drew criticism from all quarters.
Pete Radovich, the coordinating producer of CBS Sports' Champions League coverage, explained that a conversation was required following the faux pas but the group were left surprised at the strength of response from the public. Radovich was always confident the on-air team would be able to continue in their roles however.
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"The first thing to say is everyone was surprised at the reaction that night; myself, Kate and Jamie included, because it was just banter gone wrong amongst friends, between a brother and sister. That night, when it started to snowball, we had discussions," he told the Athletic.
"It wasn’t alarms or questioning if we were going to be able to repair this. He misspoke. He felt bad. Kate wasn’t crazy about it, but none of it was like, ‘This could be the end’.
"The biggest reaction was surprise at how much play it got. So, there was never a moment in all of that time where I was like, ‘Wow, I don’t know if we can bounce back from this’. Not even for a split second because I knew internally we were all cool.
"It’s not for me to speak for Kate, but I can only speak to the conversations I had with Kate. She conveyed to me that she wasn’t crazy about the comment, but at the same time, we can get over this."
The show were as quick to face-up to the issue on broadcast as behind the scenes. The team looked to move past the issue via a trademark Abdo introduction.
She said: “This group has been together for three and a half years. I grew up with a brother and I feel like I have gained three more here. Let me introduce you to the group again; Thierry Henry; the golden child, can do no wrong, always says the right thing, sets the example to the rest of us. He is the big brother we all look up to.
"Then there is the middle child; Jamie Carragher, a chip on his shoulder, capable of saying anything for attention. Does he go too far sometimes? Absolutely. Does he apologise? Yes, he does. But all of us have that one annoying family member that we still love. Then there’s little bro; loud but loveable, Micah Richards, easy to pick on, impossible not to love.”
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