ESPN found itself in an uncomfortable situation late Saturday night after mistakenly displaying the wrong player photo during a tribute segment honoring Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Rondale Moore.
Moore, just 25 years old, passed away Saturday in what authorities believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The tragic news sent shockwaves through the football world and cast a somber tone over an otherwise busy sports night that included marquee college basketball matchups, Olympic events, and the NBA’s return from the All-Star break.
During the late-night edition of SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, ESPN paused to acknowledge Moore’s passing. However, the on-screen graphic accompanying the segment incorrectly showed a photo of fellow Vikings wide receiver Myles Price instead of Moore.
As noted by Awful Announcing, the segment aired at approximately 1:07 a.m. ET before Van Pelt sent the broadcast to commercial break. Shortly after the live airing, the mistake was caught. When SportsCenter re-aired immediately following the initial broadcast, viewers saw a re-recorded version of Van Pelt’s tribute—this time with the correct photo of Moore.
A Quick Correction, But an Unfortunate Error
To ESPN’s credit, the network moved quickly to fix the error and prevent it from being replayed throughout the overnight broadcast cycle. Van Pelt re-taped the segment so subsequent airings properly honored Moore without the incorrect visual.
Still, the moment highlighted how even brief mistakes can carry extra weight during moments of tragedy. While live television inherently carries risk, using the wrong image during a memorial segment is the kind of error that stands out, especially when honoring a young player whose death stunned the sports community.
Mistakes do happen in live broadcasting, but the context made this one particularly unfortunate. ESPN’s decision to immediately correct the issue ensured that later viewers received the intended tribute, even if the initial error was hard to ignore.
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