Joe Buck has come a long way since his “disgusting act” accusation

Oh, how times have changed for our dear friend Joe Buck.

The veteran play-by-play announcer has been the voice of many big moments in the NFL over the past few decades.

He and his longtime partner Troy Aikman finished second in the Awful Annducing NFL 2024 announcer rankings, but sports fans haven’t always been such a big fan of Buck.

Early in his career, Buck’s work was often overshadowed in the eyes of fans by that of his father, Jack. The perception of nepotism always haunted the younger Buck, whether it was warranted or not. And that perception didn’t necessarily endear him to the masses.

There were also no moments like the one that occurred 20 years ago today – a Randy Moss touchdown call that still remains in infamy.

The year was 2005. In the Wild Card round, the Minnesota Vikings faced their division rivals, the Green Bay Packers. Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper took the lead with a touchdown in the fourth quarter and dropped back and launched a 35-yard pass to star wide receiver Randy Moss, who took it all the way to the house, all but sealing Minnesota’s victory.

“Culpepper. Moss. “Randy Moss is about to score a touchdown!” Buck said as the play unfolded.

“Oh, Al Harris plays out, made a mistake on the route,” Collinsworth began. “And Randy Moss, without really being able to run, shooting the moon at the fans here in Green Bay,” he continued, as Moss made an…unexpected gesture to the fans at Lambeau Field.

At that point, Buck went from NFL announcer to morale cop in about 0.2 seconds.

“This is a disgusting act by Randy Moss,” Buck announced. “And it’s unfortunate that we had this live on air. This is DISGUSTING from Randy Moss.”

Buck: “That’s a disgusting act by Randy Moss!”…as Aikman completely blows him away. 😄 pic.twitter.com/FaHnaMuQv2

— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) November 4, 2018

How valuable were we really as a society in 2005?

So valuable that our virgin eyes couldn’t stand it when a wide receiver pretended to pull down his pants in front of opposing fans? In 2025, this kind of nonsense would be celebrated and shared ad infinitum on social media. It would also impose a penalty of about 500 yards and Moss would be fined about $1 million. But it would be legendary.

Even Buck has softened his stance over the years.

Buck himself admitted that he “can’t believe” that he called Moss’s celebration a “disgusting act.”

Perhaps that says more about how society has evolved – or, depending on your point of view, regressed – over the last 20 years. Either way, what Moss did was objectively hilarious to everyone except Packers fans — and Buck at the time.

Luckily for us, in recent years Buck has taken off his clerical collar and let his sense of humor shine through. And given the types of things being broadcast on TV these days, it’s safe to say he won’t be wagging his finger at “disgusting acts” any time soon.