Chicago Bears chairman George H. McCaskey didn’t hold back Wednesday while discussing his thoughts on NFL television broadcasts.
During a press conference shortly after the Bears hired Ben Johnson as their next head coach, McCaskey was asked to share his thoughts about Las Vegas Raiders minority owner Tom Brady calling a divisional-round matchup Saturday between the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders on Fox Sports alongside play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt.
Brady notably never mentioned Johnson by name on the broadcast, as the former Lions offensive coordinator was in the running for the Raiders’ job. But instead of responding to Brady’s involvement, McCaskey took a swipe at ESPN’s top NFL play-by-play announcer.
“I don’t care who they put on. When Joe Buck is on, I turn the sound down,” McCaskey said (at the 29:20 mark in the video below).
Ouch.
Buck has been ESPN’s lead play-by-play broadcaster since making the jump from Fox Sports to ESPN in 2022. He called one Bears game in 2024—a 30–12 thrashing at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 15.
That game brought the Bears’ losing streak to eight straight games. At least McCaskey was shielded from listening to the broadcast?
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bears Owner Takes Direct Shot at ESPN’s Joe Buck Out of Nowhere.