Live sports television moves fast, but the FOX NFL Sunday set completely derailed during Week 2 coverage of the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals matchup. So much so that a mental lapse from Terry Bradshaw was so glaring that the FOX Studio Host Curt Menefee was forced to physically intervene, calling out a confused Bradshaw live on national television after he completely missed Rob Gronkowski’s breakdown. 

The pregame desk was setting the stage for Arizona’s matchup, highlighting starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett. That is when 4x Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski stepped up to break down Arizona’s offense. He threw his full support behind tight end Trey McBride, boldly calling him the top player at his position across football, which earned him groans of disagreement from the panel.

“With the Arizona Cardinals as well, Jacoby Brissett. This guy has been quietly one of the most decent quarterbacks in the NFL. He has been producing; there’s no doubt about that. And his favorite target is Trey McBride, who, to me, is the best tight end in the NFL right now, baby…(FOX NFL Sunday’s panel lets out groans)… You can’t argue that! You can’t argue that! This is going to be a close game, but Seattle will be in control the whole time and will win,” Rob Gronkowski expressed about McBride and the Cardinals vs. Seahawks game via Awful Announcing on X.

Bradshaw groaned in protest at Gronk’s TE ranking before tuning out of the conversation. While Gronkowski wrapped up his game pick backing Seattle to win, Bradshaw seemingly drifted off. Once Gronk finished, Bradshaw leaned right back forward and asked, “What about McBride? I mean…” 

To which Curt Menefee couldn’t hide his disbelief, correcting the Pro Football Hall of Famer while patting him on the hand: “That’s what he just said!” Menefee then proceeded to facepalm himself as the panel burst out giggling. 

This further prompted Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan to point at both the former TE Rob Gronkowski and Terry Bradshaw and sarcastically call them out loud: “Brilliant mind! Brilliant Mind!”

Earlier in the broadcast, Terry Bradshaw had jokingly poked fun at Gronkowski by claiming he only likes to “quote people with great minds,” referencing Gronk’s earlier takes on the Dallas Cowboys. Strahan’s sarcastic words were a callback to this incident.

Amidst the mix-up, Terry Bradshaw tried to sheepishly suggest that it was all a “setup,” but he had already given himself away by his softly spoken words of confusion: “Oh, did he say McBride?”

This viral clip is not an isolated incident of blunders from the 78-year-old ex-Pittsburgh Steelers star on FOX. In recent years, fans have seen the four-time Super Bowl champ fumble during halftime segments, read wrong prompter lines, and botch player names on numerous occasions. More often than not, these on-air gaffes lead to unwanted viral attention for Bradshaw.

Beyond Strahan and Menefee having to rescue him during live broadcasts, Bradshaw previously derailed Strahan’s segment celebrating his induction into the Texas Southern University Hall of Fame. Bradshaw jokingly claimed he also attended the HBCU until Strahan shut him down. On another broadcast, Bradshaw openly told Gronkowski he was merely filling in for Jimmy Johnson, sparking another instant on-air correction.

Regardless of people’s wishes expressed on social media, Bradshaw has stated that he has no intention of retiring. He spoke with Sports Business Radio about how working demanding game days keeps his brain and thought processes active. Quoting Billy Graham’s view that retirement accelerates aging, Bradshaw stressed that any departure is strictly FOX’s call, not his.