Leigh Diffey shines throughout Paris Olympics despite botched 100 meter dash call | GRID Encore

we believe I still don't know that we've got an official confirmation from NBC over here but Adam Stern reported it in March and Nathan Brown followed up this week that it's going to be at Daytona We Believe Lee DIY is coming back to the Nascar Cup series for the playoffs uh in the NBC Booth there's a lot of excitement for for Lee coming in here and a lot of anticipation and maybe more so considering that Lee just got back from Paris or is about to be back from Paris perhaps uh from calling the track and field events the vast majority of those uh in the Olympic Games and he's been a he's been a constant voice on NBC's Olympic coverage I think since 2014 he's done some uh Bob sledding and louj and skeleton during the winter games I think he did rowing at Rio uh and his now become NBC's main uh track and field guy um and it's kind of ironic that the reason that he did his to uh Cup Series races in 2017 was because Rick Allen was doing track and field at the world championships in London uh for those two weeks um and now Lee will be replacing Rick in the booth uh coming back from having done track of the Olympics but uh lee took some heat uh after 100 meters Brandon I don't know how active you were on social media last week but uh it was a very close 100 meter race Noah LS by I think five 1000 of a second edged out Shane Thompson from Jamaica and as they came across the line Lee DIY called the race for Thompson I thought Thompson regardless of what DIY was saying in the booth uh had won the race apparently the peacock broadcasters thought that Thompson had won the race Noah ly himself said in his postrace interview that he thought he had gotten out leaned by Thompson of the line and it was only after the photo finish was revealed that we heard that ly had in fact won the race by almost the slim as possible margin and unfortunately it goes down as a pretty badly botched call uh for Lee DIY but I think that I just want to say from the perspective of a race fan that has admired the work that he's done in the booth for over a decade now uh that I think he took entirely too much heat on social media for that call I'm not excusing it I'm not saying that you know it's it's actually worth defending because it added to the moment or anything I I agree I think he made a mistake and he even acknowledged it on on his social media post saying I should have not been so bold to call it I should have said it's going to go to a photo finish or it's too close to call or something along those lines and not declared a winner when it was too close to call from a naked eye but I don't think that that should be what defines them and I think that the fans that stuck around for the Olympics hopefully got to see the absolute Pro in the booth that he is because he bounced back in a massive way on that epic 1500 with Cole Hawker stealing it at the end from the United States and Quincy Hall doing the same in the 400 100 meters he had a great Olympic Games aside from that one moment and I just hope that it's it's not his defining Legacy from these Paris games I don't think it's going to be I think everybody's cooled down uh from that moment here but uh you know again I I was I was so happy to hear him uh get this opportunity and I'm happy that he's coming over to NASCAR cup to call our final I guess 11 races of the top Series in NASCAR for NBC Sports and I look forward to uh hearing what he has uh to say on the calls and uh Help Us close this season out because I think he is one of the best voices uh not just that NBC has but that anybody has in sports right now and again it's unfortunate that some people are gonna only remember that 100 meter call but aside from that I I want to give credit words too I think he had a great Olympic Games I'm looking forward to hearing him in NASCAR here in a couple weeks yeah for those who that that's all they saw they are really missing out on Lee DIY a man of few I mean it's as I've been watching him a man a few mistakes and and in very very elite company as one of the best in the business so yeah that's just that's nitpicking on on I mean sure it was a botch call but it was also very very close finish he was really into the moment um and I mean we we all we all get that way sometimes yeah and no and nobody's perfect and and I gotta be honest you know it does make me don't hand a Montana on me right now don't I'm not gonna do that but I I but I will I will say I'll be like Kyle Petty how's that let me say this um I'm say this um I don't know it does it does kind of make me sit back and wonder you know am I sometimes too hard on you know the Rick Allen or you know back in the day I've kind of done maybe not a complete 180 because I still I'm sorry Matthew if you're watching this I still will will take Harry Call's call of the 2008 World Series every time uh Joe bucks sounded completely bored and out of it to me for that um but I digress uh my my opinion of Joe Buck has certainly changed over the years but I wasn't a fan of him when I was younger I probably not a fan of uh Rick Allen for for much of his certainly his NBC career um but you know I think we do have to remember that you know these are human beings that that are flawed and will make mistakes from time to time and it shouldn't it shouldn't be what defines their legacy in the booth and I don't think you know we got to see Al Michaels and Bob cus on the last day of NBC's Paris coverage with Mike too ver uh sharing their memories and looking forward to the games coming back here to the US in in 2028 with Los Angeles and um you know all three of those men and and Taro made a mistake uh during the gold medal ceremony misidentifying uh he he thought he saw the flag of Palestine and had to come on air and correct himself there um you know nobody's perfect everybody you know no matter how far up a ladder you are um you know we all make mistakes and I think that we have to do a better job job as a society of remembering that these are human beings and uh you know not treating them too harshly when they do occasionally slip up because most of the time they're consument professionals and they do a really professional really good job uh what they do um and I think that we should we should remember that uh for all of them so I'm again really cannot wait to hear uh lee here in a couple weeks and uh want to want to give him my salute uh for a great job at Paris I hope he's back in 28 uh doing track and field once again when the games come back here so we'll look forward to that