Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman was replaced midgame after he was caught on a hot mic using a homophobic slur.
Brennaman was broadcasting a double-header between the Reds and Kansas City Royals when he was caught on mic referring to some unspecified city as “one of the fag capitals of the world.”
The comments quickly spread on social media:
He attempted an awkward apology in the middle of the second game ― one made even stranger by the fact that he was trying to call a home run by a Reds’ player at the same time, and announced he was leaving the booth. Before turning over the broadcast to a colleague, he said, “I am very, very sorry, and I beg your forgiveness.“ Here is his apology:
Broadcaster Jim Day took over to finish the game.
“You’re a good man, partner,” Day said. “Hang in there.”
It’s not clear yet whether Brennaman had been fired, suspended or will face some other form of discipline.
He is the son of legendary Reds’ broadcaster Marty Brennaman, who did play-by-play for the team for more than 40 years, retiring near the end of the 2019 season. Thom Brennaman, 56, followed in his father’s footsteps as a sports announcer shortly after graduating from college. Along with a focus on baseball, he has called college football and college basketball for Fox. He has been one of the Reds’ play-by-play announcers since the 2007 season.
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