NBC Sports broadcaster Todd Richards has addressed the hot mic moment in which he described the men’s snowboarding big air final at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics as “boring.”
“That was boring, that was so boring. I liked the qualifiers better,” viewers heard the snowboarding legend tells co-host Todd Harris during the live broadcast on NBC Sports.
After the comment went viral on social media, Richards shared a video on Instagram to admit that he felt “the qualifiers were better” and “more exciting,” referring to their “drama” and various creative tricks and spins. “In the final? A lot of people fell and a lot of people really did the same trick,” he added.
Watch the full video at Instagram.
Richards emphasized that his comments were not a criticism of the athletes.
“That had nothing to do with what these athletes do, because the riders come here and throw down,” he said. “I have the utmost respect for them. It really lent itself to the format and I thought qualifying was much more exciting.”
“It really wasn’t about them,” the expert added. “These guys are my heroes, they’re my friends, they’re my colleagues and they’re all rippers. So big shout-outs to everyone who came out here tonight and threw down.”
In the caption of the Instagram post, Richards said it was “nothing I wouldn’t say to a reporter or in public” and “my opinion was based on what I saw in the qualifying match versus the final medal round.”
“Not a word I said had anything to do with any rider in this event. I feel like I shouldn’t say that, but I do. They all rule,” he concluded.
