Sportscaster Al Michaels booked on suspicion of DUI

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — NBC Sports announcer Al Michaels was arrested over the weekend in Southern California on suspicion of drunken driving, authorities said Sunday.

Michaels was pulled over at about 9:30 p.m. Friday after officers manning a DUI checkpoint witnessed him make an illegal U-turn, Santa Monica police Sgt. Richard Lewis said.

Michaels, the play-by-play man for “Sunday Night Football,” was taken to the station, where he registered a blood alcohol level over the .08 percent legal limit, according to Lewis.

He was booked for suspicion of DUI and held for about five hours before being released on his own recognizance, Lewis said.

“We are aware of the situation and we’ve been in contact with Al,” said Greg Hughes, a spokesman for NBC Sports. “We have no further comment at this time.”

A call Sunday by The Associated Press to Michaels’ agent was not immediately returned.

Michaels was ordered to appear in court June 26.

An Emmy Award winner and broadcaster on “Sunday Night Football,” the 68-year-old Michaels spent nearly three decades at ABC Sports before moving to NBC in 2007.

Michaels worked NFL games and other sports for ABC, and called “Monday Night Football” for nearly 20 years. He also is known for his call of the U.S.-Soviet Union “Miracle on Ice” game at the 1980 Winter Olympics and the earthquake-interrupted Game 3 of the 1989 World Series.

Last year he received the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting.