Thanks in large part to ESPN, Katherine Webb was the unlikeliest star of the 2013 BCS Championship Game. Crowned Miss Alabama USA 2012 last year, Webb didn't score a touchdown in the Crimson Tide's 42-14 thrashing of the Irish but she was still shown in the stands during the broadcast as she cheered on her boyfriend, Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron.
A day after the game, ESPN apologized for the over-the-top commentary of broadcaster Brent Musburger, who gushed over Webb during the first half.
"Wow, you quarterbacks get all the good looking women. What a beautiful woman, whoa!" Musburger fawned as ESPN cameras showed her in the stands with McCarron's mother. "If you're a youngster in Alabama, start getting the football out and throw it around the backyard with pops."
In a statement on Tuesday, ESPN acknowledged that Musburger went too far.
“We always try to capture interesting storylines and the relationship between an Auburn grad who is Miss Alabama and the current Alabama quarterback certainly met that test. However, we apologize that the commentary in this instance went too far and Brent understands that.”
With Alabama having quickly jumped out to a 14-0 lead and asserted its dominance by the time Webb appeared on the broadcast, the awkward commentary became a hot topic on Twitter.