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Saturday, September 26, 2020

The Cincinnati Reds Fires Thom Brennaman Out The Cannon!

Thom Brennaman is out of the booth. The Cincinnati Reds fire him after he said a gay slur.
The Cincinnati Reds organization has decided to formally sever ties with longtime sports announcer and commentator Thom Brennaman. He was forced out after he was caught on a "hot mic" saying an anti-LGBTQ slur.

Brennaman, the son of legendary sports announcer Marty Brennaman has been with the Reds since 2006.

"My family and I have decided that I am going to step away from my role as the television voice of the Cincinnati Reds," Brennaman said to WCPO. "I would like to thank the Reds, Reds fans and the LGBTQ Community for the incredible support and grace they have shown my family and me."

Before the cannon firing, he was placed in the freezer for the August 19th incident.

"I have been in this profession that I love for 33 years," he wrote. "It is my hope and intention to return. And if I'm given that opportunity, I will be a better broadcaster and a much better person."

Brennaman worked for the Fox Sports Ohio covering the Reds and being the play-by-play. A well known voice in Cincinnati.

"The Reds respect Thom Brennaman's decision to step away from the broadcast booth and applaud his heartfelt efforts of reconciliation with the LGBTQ+ community," Reds team CEO Bob Castellini wrote in a statement. "The Brennaman family has been an intrinsic part of the Reds history for nearly fifty years. We sincerely thank Thom for bringing the excitement of Reds baseball to millions of fans during his years in the booth. And, we appreciate the warm welcome Thom showed our fans at Redsfest and on the Reds Caravan. He is a fantastic talent and a good man who remains part of the Reds family forever. We wish him well."

The incident that got his ass in trouble happened when he returned from a commercial break before the top of the seventh inning in the first game of a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals.

An off-camera Brennaman described an unknown American city as "one of the f** capitals of the world" during the broadcast.

Fox Sports Ohio said that the audio of that went out during a video streaming not the over-the-air television.

Brennaman apologized during the second game and then was yanked off the air shortly after.

"I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the air that I am deeply ashamed of," Brennaman said. "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."
The son of legendary broadcaster Marty Brennaman, Thom was supposed to hold the title with honor. I guess he disgraced it.
Fox Sports Ohio removed Brennaman from its NFL season after the incident.

"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."

In the closing of his apology, Brennaman said that he is grateful to those who stood with him and said that he will return someday a better person.

"I am grateful for the forgiveness so many have extended to me, especially those in the LGBTQ community who I have met, spoken with and listen to almost daily over the last five weeks," he wrote on Friday. "With their continued guidance, I hope to be a voice for positive change."

Fox Sports is no longer Newscorp. The network sold Fox Sports to Sinclair Broadcasting.

Fox Entertainment, FX, National Geographic and 20th Century Fox are now under Disney Media.

Fox News is under Newscorp.



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