A Fox Sports announcer who has been calling Major League Baseball games for more than 30 years was suspended on Wednesday night, the Cincinnati Reds said, after he used a homophobic slur during a live broadcast of a Reds doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals, reports the NY Times.
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| Thom Brennaman |
Brennaman, 56, was suspended after videos circulated widely on social media showing him apparently caught on a live mic on Wednesday night describing a place as “one of the fag capitals of the world.” It was not clear where he was referring to.
After the slur was broadcast, Mr. Brennaman segued into a promotion of the Reds’ pregame show.
The comment stirred outrage on social media, with some fans calling for him to be fired. Later Wednesday night, Mr. Brennaman apologized for his remarks, saying he was “deeply ashamed.”
Thom Brennaman says a homophobic slur on a hot mic, is forced to apologize and sign off early, but still manages to get one last home run call in.pic.twitter.com/dKjhRjwZXg— Korked Bats (@korkedbats) August 20, 2020
“I don’t know if I’m going to be putting on this headset again,” Brennaman said in the on-air apology, which he briefly interrupted to announce a home run by the Reds’ Nick Castellanos. “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.”
Brennaman said he wanted to apologize to the “people who sign my paycheck,” to the Reds, to Fox Sports Ohio and to “anybody that I’ve offended here tonight.”
“I can’t begin to tell you how deeply sorry I am,” he said. “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.”
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