Thom Brennaman should never call a game again after using homophobic slur
Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman should never call a game again after the shocking and disgusting thing he did Wednesday’s game against the Royals.
In case you missed it, Brennaman, who also calls NFL and MLB games for Fox Sports, was heard using a homophobic slur during the first game of a doubleheader. He stunningly stayed on the broadcast in the second game until he gave an on-air apology and left the booth, likely for good.
Brennaman apparently didn’t think he was on-air when he used the slur but the clip was picked up and quickly went viral on Twitter with people rightly calling for his job.
His apology was absolutely empty and horrible and it included him calling a home run in the middle of it. It was surreal television and should be the last time we see him working any type of game.
Brennaman gave the usual lines of an meaningless apology, saying:
“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.”
Um, if you said what you said when you didn’t think anyone was hearing you then that is exactly who you are, Mr. Brennaman. How he would even think of saying such a thing with even just the production crew hearing it is beyond me. It was disgusting and offensive and should lead to the end of his career.
He also added:
“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.
“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 going to be for my bosses at Fox. I will apologize to 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.”
That apology was garbage. Oh, you’re a man of faith!? Get out of here with that.
Late Wednesday night the Reds announced that Brennaman has been suspended:
“The Cincinnati Reds organization is devastated by the horrific, homophobic remark made this evening by broadcaster Thom Brennaman. 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.”
“In no way does this incident represent our players, coaches, organization, or our fans. We share our sincerest apologies to the LGBTQ+ community in Cincinnati, Kansas City, all across this country, and beyond. The Reds embrace a zero-tolerance policy for bias or discrimination of any kind, and we are truly sorry to anyone who has been offended.”
Yeah, goodbye for good, Thom Brennaman.
Quick hits: Poor Joel Embiid… Curry calls out Kenny Smith… NBA Draft Lottery reps… And more.
– These sad photos of Joel Embiid perfectly sum up the Sixers after a blowout loss to the Celtics.
– Steph Curry called out Kenny Smith for thinking Damian Lillard has longer range.
– The NBA Draft Lottery is tonight and here’s who will be representing the 14 teams.
– Hemal Jhaveri spoke to Jemele Hill and Cari Champion about their new show on Vice.
– WWE is going to debut a new ‘ThunderDome’ set at Amway Center, which includes virtual fans.