David Letterman has been a pioneer in the television world. With numerous iconic interviews accredited to his name, his presence on ESPN’s ‘Manningcast’ hosted by NFL legends, Peyton and Eli Manning was bound to be eventful. But the broadcast raised many eyebrows after a rather suspicious turn of events.

Manningcast offers viewers an intricately balanced play-by-play analysis with a mix of anecdotes from guests. But Letterman’s appearance included a painfully awkward moment that begs for the reasoning behind the move. Here’s a look at what occurred.

David Letterman’s anecdote on Roger Goodell faced an abrupt end

During a Monday night game between the Bills and Patriots, David Letterman hopped on to the Manningcast. His dry humor and eventful anecdotes were undoubtedly well-received. But during the second quarter of the game, the legendary host revealed a funny interaction he once had with Roger Goodell.

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The Indiana native was present at Peyton Manning’s statue ceremony in Indianapolis. It was there that he interacted with the NFL commissioner. As Letterman recalled the funny interaction with Goodell, ESPN abruptly cut the broadcast and displayed a commercial.

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Getting cut off by commercials is not a strange occurrence on the Manningcast. But the timing of the interruption begs for an explanation. Alongside that, the game was still being broadcast on one side of the split screen while the other half displayed the commercial. So, does ESPN draw the line at jokes involving the NFL commissioner?

Did ESPN not want to risk the possibility of a negative remark directed at Goodell?

This isn’t the first time that ESPN has raised eyebrows. Pat McAfee once stated that the organization’s mandate was set to keep ESPN’s employees away from making guest appearances on the former Colts star’s show. But it was quickly denied.

Goodell’s position has warranted not-so-constructive criticism on more than one occasion. But it doesn’t seem like David Letterman’s anecdote on the Manningcast was headed in the direction of an indiscreet exposé about the commissioner. So why the hush-hush? Was it a technical discrepancy, or a perfectly timed move to avoid liability? As of now, neither the Mannings, Letterman nor ESPN have commented on the incident.

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