It is not known if Brennaman, who has been a Reds broadcaster since '07, will return to the boothFOX SPORTS
The Reds suspended announcer Thom Brennaman after he used a "homophobic slur during the broadcast of the team's doubleheader Wednesday night," according to Steve Watkins of the CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER. Brennaman "apparently didn't realize he was on the air when he made the comment" as FS Ohio came back from a break late in the first game of the doubleheader against the Royals. He returned to the booth for the second game before he "apologized on air and stepped aside" in the top of the fifth inning. He turned play-by-play duties over to on-field reporter Jim Day (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/19). THE ATHLETIC's C. Trent Rosecrans notes Day "was already scheduled to call the team's four-game series" against the Cardinals this weekend in St. Louis from the FS Ohio studios in Cincinnati (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/20).
FACING AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE: In Cincinnati, Madeline Mitchell notes Brennaman on the MLB.TV broadcast "can be heard in what appears to be the tail end of a sentence: 'the f** capitals of the world.'" He "did not appear to realize his mic had picked up the homophobic slur." Brennaman in his apology while live on the air said, "I don't know if I'm gonna be putting on this headset again. I don't know if it's gonna 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" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 8/20). Brennaman said prior to the announcement of his suspension, "I don't know where, at this point, that I could go besides just continuing to express my regret, and my sorrow for what I said" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/20).
PAST CAN'T ERASE THIS BLEMISH: In Cincinnati, Paul Daugherty writes the "widely held opinion that Thom is a decent human being will not mitigate what will happen to his career." MLB "will press the Reds to fire him." It is "likely Fox Sports will do the same." Brennaman's "distinguished career of three decades will at the very least be put on extended hold." Daugherty: "In 2020, there are some things you cannot say. There are no second chances when it comes to slurs" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 8/20). SI.com's Jimmy Traina writes, "I absolutely hate calling for people to be fired. And I hate that a lot of people won't be open to someone redeeming themselves. But it's hard to chalk this one up to being 'just a mistake' by Brennaman. ... Dumb doesn't even come close to cutting it when describing Brennaman's actions" (SI.com, 8/20). THE ATHLETIC's Mo Egger writes, "I badly want to give Thom the benefit of the doubt, mainly because a person’s portrayal should involve more than just sweeping conclusions based on one isolated thing. But what makes slurs so jarring is their lack of ambiguity. They leave neither room for interpretation or for applying context" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/20).
STILL WORK TO BE DONE: YAHOO SPORTS' Hannah Keyser writes taking Brennaman off TV is a "good step for Fox Sports Ohio and fans," though it "does nothing for the man himself or the bigotry that we know still exists in the world" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/20). Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said, “This unfortunate incident is just a reflection of the bias that we still have in our communities, and we have to root it out” (“GMA,” ABC, 8/20).
