Saturday afternoon, ESPN commentator Dan Orlovsky had an unfortunate slip of the tongue while discussing an Iowa football game. He called quarterback Spencer Petras by the wrong name. Specifically, Orlovsky said that “Spencer Penis” was disappointed by a moment during the 21-20 loss.
A football fan caught the mistake and posted evidence on social media. Twitter users immediately began making jokes about the quarterback as well as the ESPN commentator. They did not hold back with comments and directly tweeted at the former NFL quarterback. Others asked why Orlovsky had that particular slip of the tongue.
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Spencer Penis pic.twitter.com/ZxkgMHwVya
— WWF Hall of Famer Ivan BOOlogna (@PV_GIA) October 31, 2020
“Hey, Dan Orlovsky called our quarterback Spencer Penis, so at least there’s that. Find the silver linings in every day,” a frustrated Iowa fan tweeted on Saturday. They expressed the opinion that 2020 would be another difficult season for the Hawkeyes, especially after Petras threw three interceptions to the Northwestern defense.
While the moment was embarrassing, Orlovsky is not the only analyst to make a mistake when discussing various players. Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann made a mistake on live TV. He referred to former running back Danny Woodhead as “Woodcock.” When he made the comment, the other people on the NFL Network set began laughing uncontrollably. Deion Sanders fell facedown on the floor while Mike Mayock and Steve Mariucci both slumped in their chairs. Theismann just walked off the set while laughing at his own mistake.
“I have not [seen it], man,” Woodhead said after hearing about Theismann’s slipup in 2011. “I heard something about it. It’s funny. That’s good. That’s funny. It happens all the time. I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me.”
A former back quarterback, Orlovsky landed with the Detroit Lions as a fifth-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. During his tenure with the Michigan team, he committed a mental error and sparked critical comments. Orlovsky has found considerable success at ESPN, but many people still remember him for this costly play.
With less than one minute remaining in the first quarter of a 2008 game, Orlovsky lined up against the Minnesota Vikings deep in Detroit territory. He dropped back to throw a pass but had to run away from defensive end Jared Allen. Orlovsky accidentally ran out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety. The Lions ultimately lost by two points.
