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ESPN Executive Issues Apology After National Anthem Controversy

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nathan Dougherty | Last updated Jan 16, 2025 9:14 PM ET

Emotions were running high when Notre Dame and Georgia took the field in the Sugar Bowl, a game that had been delayed by a day after an attack in New Orleans.

The victims of the attack were honored before the game, followed by the national anthem that took on a deeper meaning to fans after the attack. But those watching the game on ESPN didn't see the moment, with the network opting not to air the national anthem as it took place during a commercial break.

The move garnered some criticism, and ESPN executive Burke Magnus has now issued an apology over the "enormous mistake." Appearing on Sports Business Journal’s “The Sports Media Podcast,” Magnus said the national anthem should have been part of ESPN's live broadcast.

This was a travesty that @espn skipped one of the most moving and nationally significant moments of the @SugarBowlNola. The anthem and moment of silence at the Dome was beautiful. https://t.co/QYxQXjCRym pic.twitter.com/vgoriBxiLW
— Raymond Arroyo (@RaymondArroyo) January 3, 2025

“There’s a group of people in Bristol who just made an enormous mistake," Magnus said. "It was a human error. It happens. I don’t want to minimize it by any stretch, but as you noted, nothing was normal about that day – including our programming lineup, where we normally would have had 'College GameDay' and that crew leading into the game. It wasn’t that. It was 'SportsCenter,' which is done out of Bristol instead of on-site."

Magnus said there was no malice in the decision, which he described as a mistake, but said the network should have done better.

“It was just not good by any measuring stick and not up to our standards," Magnus said.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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