Terry Bradshaw Under Fire After Botching Drake Maye’s Name on FOX Broadcast
Terry Bradshaw Under Fire After Botching Drake Maye’s Name on FOX Broadcast
Hetal Moleshri Mon, September 28, 2026 at 5:00 AM UTC
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INGLEWOOD, CA – JANUARY 30: Terry Bradshaw of Fox Sports during the NFC Conference Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams on January 30, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. Photo by Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA JAN 30 NFC Conference Championship – 49ers at Rams Icon5922201302227 ©imago images/Icon SMI
Terry Bradshaw has done it again! Every season, the Pro Football Hall of Famer and current Fox Sports broadcaster comes into the spotlight for messing up names, mixing players and spacing out during live television. His famous mishap of calling Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet “Zach Cabernet” (like the wine) in 2024, and then last season calling WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba “Njigboo,” are just a few examples of his live TV blunders. The trend has continued during Sunday’s broadcast with another high-profile blunder.
During halftime of New England Patriots against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3, both Bradshaw and co-host Curt Menefee referred to Drake Maye by the wrong first name.
They mistakenly called him “Derek” instead of “Drake” multiple times on air. This not only happened once but multiple times throughout the segment, which quickly caught viewers’ attention. The viewers took it to social media to voice their frustration.
“Curt Menefee & Terry Bradshaw at Fox Sports half time show just both referred to Drake Maye as ‘Derek Maye’ — what a f——g joke of a broadcast,” a fan wrote on X.
Drake Maye's getting plenty of attention this season, and you'll want to stay in the loop on all the Patriots QB storylines as they unfold. Subscribe for more interesting stories.
“Fox should replace Terry Bradshaw with Pat McAfee,” wrote another.
The backlash escalated quickly as some fans and commentators suggested it was time for FOX to make a change at the anchor desk. Especially considering this isn’t the first time Bradshaw has botched Maye’s name on live TV. In 2024, when Maye was a rookie quarterback, the Hall of Famer called him “Derek Mayback.”
Fans questioned whether the HOF quarterback is still delivering sharp, error-free commentary that fans expect from a national pregame and halftime show. The fumbling of Drake’s name spread quickly, and the reactions online were blunt.
Another fan focused on Bradshaw turning the moment into a punchline.
“’Derek Maye’ -Terry Bradshaw ????,” one fan wrote.
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While another added, “Who the f— is Derrick Maye Terry Bradshaw ????????????.”
The repeated mix-up became an instant meme, with fans replaying the clip and mocking the broadcast’s lack of preparation. Some fans used the moment to raise a serious point about Bradshaw’s long-term future in the booth.
“Terry Bradshaw has got to retire, man,” wrote another fan.
Some fans use the moment to raise a serious point about Bradshaw’s long-term at the booth.
Bradshaw’s history in the NFL is obviously unquestionable. He spent 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and won four Super Bowls. n 2025, when he was 76 years old, the Hall of Famer stated that he had two years remaining on his Fox contract and shared his plans to continue working until the age of 80.
But coming back to the ‘Derek’ slip-up, even though Bradshaw has botched Maye’s name twice now, the Patriots QB Maye has nothing but respect for the Hall of Famer.
“He was awesome when I met him,” Maye said of Bradshaw, as per FOX News, February 2. “He’s renowned as one of the best dudes and the best quarterbacks of all time — with how he treats fans.”
However, it was not enough to protect Bradshaw from the scrutiny. Earlier this month, another broadcast exchange involving Trey McBride also went viral after Bradshaw missed a point that had just been made by Rob Gronkowski.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
