After being suspended by the Cincinnati Reds from broadcasting team games for using an anti-gay slur on the air on Wednesday night on a hot mic, sportscaster Thom Brennaman has also been removed from calling NFL games by Fox Sports.
“Fox Sports is extremely disappointed with Thom’s remarks during Wednesday’s Cincinnati Reds telecast,” the network said in a statement. “The language used was abhorrent, unacceptable, and not representative of the values of Fox Sports. As it relates to Brennaman’s Fox NFL role, we are moving forward with our NFL schedule which will not include him.”
Coming back from a commercial break in the seventh inning of the first game of a doubleheader against the Royals, Brennaman said “One of the f-g capitals of the world” during the Wednesday broadcast, with no other context.
He later apologized, but inexplicably continued to call the game during his apology, including announcing a home run.
“I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the air that I am deeply ashamed of,” the 56-year-old said during his apology. “If I have hurt anyone out there, I can’t tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart, I am very, very sorry. I don’t know if I’m going to be putting on this headset again.”
Following the Wednesday on-air apology, Brennaman wrote an apology for The Cincinnati Enquirer on Thursday.
“I used a word that is both offensive and insulting. In the past 24 hours, I have read about its history; I had no idea it was so rooted in hate and violence and am particularly ashamed that I, someone who makes his living by the use of words, could be so careless and insensitive,” Brennaman wrote. “It’s a word that should have no place in my vocabulary and I will certainly never utter it again.”
If they are heartfelt, the apologies are a great first step for Brennaman. But, it seems unlikely he will be broadcasting games for Fox or anyone else anytime soon.
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