Kirk Herbstreit couldn’t stop calling Brian Schottenheimer “Schotty” during Thursday Night Football, and viewers lost their collective minds.
The Lions rolled over the Cowboys 44-30 at Ford Field on Thursday night. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for three touchdowns. Detroit improved to 8-5. None of that mattered as much as Herbstreit’s insistence on calling Dallas’ head coach by his nickname every single time he mentioned him on Prime Video’s broadcast.
The world is uniting right now behind efforts trying to get Kirk Herbstreit to stop saying Schotty….
— jamie mac (@justcoverblog) December 5, 2025
I understand Brian Schottenheimer is called Schotty by his friends, but am I the only one who’s getting really annoyed by Kirk Herbstreit calling him Schotty every fucking time on this broadcast?
— Craig Ellenport (@ellenport) December 5, 2025
Herbstreit can stop calling him “Schotty” every 5 seconds
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) December 5, 2025
If I hear Herbstreit call him “Schotty” 83 more times, I’m gonna lose it
— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) December 5, 2025
I’m taking a shot every time Kirk Herbstreit drops “Shotty” to remind us he’s buddies with the coach. See you at the crossroads.
— Jeff Ermann (@Jeff_Ermann) December 5, 2025
Herbstreit referring to Brian Schottenheimer exclusively as “Schotty” is driving me absolutely insane. You’re in the booth calling a game, you’re not sitting in a bar.
— Justin (@JustinBauer75) December 5, 2025
For God sakes…it’s likes “Schotty” references should be a drinking game tonight
Come on @KirkHerbstreit— John Kincade (@JohnKincade) December 5, 2025
does kirk herbstreit have a personal relationship with “Schotty” or what is going on… this is worse than MarioTa
— Nick 🧃 (@nickjones3005) December 5, 2025
I don’t dislike Kirk Herbstreit, but if I have to hear him say the name “Shotty“ again…it’s been no less than 30 times this half. Stop it.
— Kevin Anderson (@CoachAnderson79) December 5, 2025
Kirk Herbstreit calling Brian Schottenheimer “Shotty” every other play pic.twitter.com/UZgMUeZUh9
— Argylle – Now Available to Buy or Rent! (@GinoHammer7) December 5, 2025
MY GOD….Kirk has GOT TO STOP with the “Schotty” references every 30 seconds. Never heard another coach talked about this much in less than 1/2 of a game let alone calling him by a nickname NON STOP! #Cowboys #Lions #TNF
— Jeff Mans (@Jeff_Mans) December 5, 2025
Kirk Herbstreit should say “Shotty” more.
— Glenn Clark (@GlennClarkRadio) December 5, 2025
Kirk Herbstreit really heard Cris Collinsworth & Mike Tirico saying “Mah‑ree‑OH‑tah” and said, “Hold my beer.”
Calling Brian Schottenheimer “Schotty” 197 times with still 5 mins left in the 1st quarter pic.twitter.com/dNj3pL0Puo
— Nathan (@nd_joyce) December 5, 2025
The Mariota comparisons aren’t wrong. Collinsworth and Tirico pronounced Marcus Mariota’s name correctly during Sunday’s Broncos-Commanders game — “Mah-ree-OH-tah” — but it became a story anyway because they said it so often and so emphatically. Schottenheimer might actually prefer being called “Schotty,” but it became a thing Thursday night for the same reason.
It got bad enough that the whole thing trended on X, where Grok’s AI-generated summary documented viewers comparing it to drinking games and begging him to stop.
The Lions beat the Cowboys 44-30 on Thursday Night Football, powered by Jahmyr Gibbs’ three rushing touchdowns at Ford Field. During Prime Video’s coverage with Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and Kaylee Hartung, Herbstreit’s constant use of Schottenheimer’s nickname ‘Schotty’ drew widespread annoyance. Viewers vented frustration over the frequency, with some calling it unprofessional and others pitching it as a drinking game that would leave them ‘messed up’ early. Cowboys fans hurting from the loss saw it as a needless distraction amid the high-scoring game.
To be fair, Herbstreit’s been doing this for years. When Georgia hired Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator in 2015, Herbstreit called it an “absolutely GREAT hire” and referred to him as “Schotty” then, too.
An absolutely GREAT hire by Mark Richt. Outside the box thinking. Schotty not only a great coach but a better person. Love it! Congrats UGA.
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) January 7, 2015
But knowing someone and broadcasting like you’re sitting next to them at a bar are different things. And when you’re calling a nationally televised NFL game, perhaps “Schottenheimer” should appear more than zero times.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.