Longtime Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman was suspended after he was caught on a hot mic using a homophobic slur Wednesday night. After the incident, he apologized and left the broadcast.
Just before the 7th inning, Brennaman appeared to be finishing a sentence that ended with “the f– capitals of the world.” He then immediately transitioned into a promo.
WARNING: This video contains offensive language
https://twitter.com/SharpPlaysCFB/status/1296316198502559746
“The Cincinnati Reds organization is devastated by the horrific, homophobic remark made this evening by broadcaster Thom Brennaman,” the Reds said in a statement after the game. “He was pulled off the air, and effective immediately was suspended from doing Reds broadcasts. We will be addressing our broadcasting team in the coming days.”
A short time after the moment aired, Brennaman returned to apologize, before exiting the broadcast for the night.
“I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the air that I am deeply ashamed of. If I have hurt anyone out there, I can’t tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart I’m so very, very sorry. I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith,” he began, before being interrupted by a home run. “I don’t know if I’m going to be putting on this headset again. I don’t know if it’s going to be for the Reds. I don’t know if it’s gonna be for my bosses at Fox. I want to apologize for the people who sign my paycheck – for the Reds, for Fox Sports Ohio, for the people I work with, for anybody that I’ve offended here tonight. I can’t begin to tell you how deeply sorry I am. That is not who I am. It never has been. And I’d like to think maybe I could have some people that could back that up. I am very, very sorry, and I beg for your forgiveness.”
Thom Brennaman apologizes, leaves @reds broadcast after open-mic disaster tonight. pic.twitter.com/ZAFYKtJRRo
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 20, 2020
Thom Brennaman has been with Fox Sports for 27 years and also serves as one of the network’s lead announcers for the NFL.
Online, reactions poured in.
Journalist Lisa Guerrero wrote, “I worked in pro sports for 20 years. The language #ThomBrennaman used (& that specific word) was typical of what I heard almost every single day. HOMOPHOBIA IS A CORNERSTONE OF SPORTS: From the field to the front office to the press box to the owner’s suite to the cheap seats.”
Lindsey Adler, who covers the Yankees for the Atheletic, wrote, “Most importantly, I am sorry that there are LGBTQ+ fans who had to hear Thom Brennaman‘s use of a homophobic slur because he thought his mic wasn’t on. There is a place for you in baseball, and there’s shouldn’t be for people who think bigotry is ok if it’s performed in secret.”
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