Marv Albert was one of a few broadcasters to work with O.J. Simpson during the Juice’s two stints in NFL broadcasting. And the legendary Albert quickly found ways to mess with the infamous football star during their time together at NBC.
Recalling his time with Simpson as a colleague during an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on Friday, Albert detailed how Simpson would often steal tidbits from game analyst Paul Maguire after their pregame production rehearsals.
After Albert and Maguire caught on to Simpson’s corner-cutting, they flipped it back on him.
“OJ was at one time doing sideline for us for NFL games. And I remember, I was working with Paul McGuire at the time, and we would rehearse, and all of Paul’s comments during the rehearsal were used by OJ when he would go on the pregame show,” Albert explained. “We had met with the coaches and met with players, and Paul would always have great stuff. And then what we had to do after a couple of games went by in this fashion, we were actually throwing the rehearsal.
“In other words, we made things up … that’s my searing memory of OJ, working with him at NBC.”
Given that Simpson’s draw as a broadcaster came far more from his celebrity status and charm than his elite commentary, maybe it’s no surprise he cheated a bit. There’s no harm in borrowing some analysis from an announcer teammate, but Maguire clearly didn’t appreciate the routine.
Simpson joined NBC in 1989, replacing Ahmad Rashad on NFL Live! until his arrest in 1994. Simpson passed away last month.
Albert was involved in calling a Knicks game the night of the LAPD police chase of Simpson and Al Cowlings, but his lasting memories of the Juice are these sideline reporting tricks.
[The Dan Patrick Show on YouTube]
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.