The Cincinnati Reds pulled a sports broadcaster from their game last night after he used a homophobic slur on air.
Thom Brennaman, 56, was commentating on the Wednesday night away game between the Reds and the Kansas City Royals. The game was played in Kansas City, while Brennaman was broadcasting remotely from the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
Just after a commercial break on Fox Sports Ohio, when Brennaman thought his microphone was turned off, he could be heard referring to somewhere as “one of the fag capitals of the world.”
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After the incident occurred, Brennaman – a commentator on Reds games for the past 16 years – made an on-air apology before handing over commentating duties to colleague Jim Day.
Screenshots of the incident quickly popped up on social media.
Thom Brennamann likely ends his Reds career tonight LIVE on the air pic.twitter.com/EDzSICgVmx
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) August 19, 2020
In his on-air apology during the fifth inning of Game Two, Brennaman said, “I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the air that I am deeply ashamed of,” he said. “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 pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith,” he said, before pausing to announce a home run by Cincinnati’s Nick Castellanos. He then continued: “I don’t know if I’m going to be putting on this headset again. 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. 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. That is not who I am. It never has been. I’d like to think maybe I could have some people that can back that up. I am very, very sorry, and I beg for your forgiveness.”
Thom Brennaman apologizes, leaves @reds broadcast after open-mic disaster tonight. pic.twitter.com/ZAFYKtJRRo
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) August 20, 2020
He then was replaced for the remainder of the game.
Later, the Reds issued a statement.
“The Cincinnati Reds organization is devastated by the horrific, homophobic remark made this evening by broadcaster Thom Brennaman. He was pulled off the air, and effective immediately was suspended from doing Reds broadcasts. We will be addressing our broadcasting team in the coming days.
“In no way does this incident represent our players, coaches, organization, or our fans. We share our sincerest apologies to the LGBTQ+ community in Cincinnati, Kansas City, all across this country, and beyond. The Reds embrace a zero-tolerance policy for bias or discrimination of any kind, and we are truly sorry to anyone who has been offended.”
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Among those to comment on the incident was Red pitcher Amir Garrett, who tweeted: “To the LGBTQ community just know I am with you, and whoever is against you, is against me. I’m sorry for what was said today.”
To the LGBTQ community just know I am with you, and whoever is against you, is against me. I’m sorry for what was said today.
— CountOnAG (@Amir_Garrett) August 20, 2020
Neoprene
My favorite line in these type of apologies is always “This is not who I am.” Wrong.
Cam
LOL! So true, more like, “This is not who I am when the mic is on.”
Cam
““I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith,” he said,”
I love that he thinks calling himself a “Man of faith” will convince people that he ISN’T a bigot. So called “Men of Faith” who made a big deal out of their “Faith” have been the worst, most violent anti-LGBTQ bigots. As soon as I heard that I thought “If that’s his go to defense, then yeah, he’s a bigot.”
Sidenote, just how much spray on tan does that guy use???
Miles Crown
“I am so very very sorry… (…that I got popped.).”
Jared MacBride
Should be fired for lacking the very slight amount of mental acuity required for the job.
joeboyle49
YOU SAID THATS NOT YOU? BUT THE QUESTION IS WHY DID YOU SAY THAT IN THE FIRST [PLACE?? YOU SAY YOUR A MAN OF FAITH WELL IT TURNS OUT WHEN MEN SAY THERE A MAN OF FAITH THERE THE WORST BIGOTS OF ALL!!
o.codone
So, there.
Lugbutton
He said he wants to apologize FOR the people he might have offended. I am sure he meant he wants to apologize TO the people.
Smith David
LMAO. Honey please……. that man apologized to secure his next gig. He don’t give a dam about our community. He’s a straight white man in America. Give it a beat and he’ll be back on the air soon.
yah_sure_youbetcha
A man who refers to himself as “a man of faith” has probably spent a good amount of his life spewing just this kind of bigotry and hatred. The way he articulated that word makes me think he’s said it many times before.
Homophobia is a possible biblically justifiable but no longer socially acceptable bias, and it’s gonna cost you when you double down on it. Get used to it, bigots.
sanfranca1
“That is not who I am.”
Actually, that is exactly who you are, or you would not said what you said.
Larry
And being a resident of Cincinnati, but not a baseball fan, the people in this town HATE his work up until he showed his true self. His calls for baseball and football on Fox drive everyone crazy. He blathers on and on and on and says NOTHING. Finally he said what he has wanted to say all along. #ByeByeThom.
ShiningSex
stupid people doing stupid stuff and now want to cry on why they lost their jobs/career. don’t be stupid. how about that?
CMarks
“This is not who I am”.
A 56 year old man does NOT suddenly decide to use a homophobic slur if that is truly not who he is (and has been). Give me a break! I’d would at least have considered his apology sincere had he not gone the route of trying to convince people the slur was out of character.
Chrisk
If he was a comedian and using it in a joke he probably could have gotten away with it. However this was just plain hate. There’s no way apologizing for it.
Essie
He is not a very good broadcaster. His father was good only because his partner, Joe Nuxhall, was so amazing. Years ago I turned the sound down during his broadcasts and then I just stopped watching. Also, both he and his father can be described as “not nice” when it comes to bigotry. That word he used fell easily from his mouth, so he uses it often. He just got caught this time and it will, HOPEFULLY, end his broadcasting career. He really won’t be missed.
boymikefl
Anybody perfect in here? Anybody say something that they shouldn’t have? I’m not talking fag or ni**er. Anything? The answer’s yes. Enough of these retributions. When they go low, we go high. You are not Donald Trump. I know you are but what am I. Drop this sh*t. I’m so sick of this gotcha sh*t & people enjoying it. You go “on air” you’d be fired in a day. He was probably talking about San Fran. WHO CARES. It was (supposed to be) off air. Forget it! Get a life!
pavel20
aren’t you even a little bothered by what he said?
nunya
I wonder how many here have referred to straight people as breeders?
Cam
Translation: Bigots shouldn’t be held responsible for their bigotry.
And he DID use one of the words that you screened out as really offensive.
Nice deflection.
Cam
@nunya
You’ll have to remind me of the decades of attacks, arrests, and murders that straight people endured while having the word “Breeder” screamed at them.
Harley
So where is this fag capital of the world? I wanna go.
chrism36
Lol me too!
Heywood Jablowme
Yeah! Does he really mean Kansas City is a f@g capital? Who knew?
And you have to wonder what he, um, “experienced” in KC that would cause him to say that?
AJAnders
The word was said with pure disdain and disgust, revealing exactly who he is.
So spare me you being a “man of faith,” and “you know who I am.” He’s said that word a hundred times, he’s just sorry his mic was on when he thought it wasn’t.
Dwight
Right now Ronna McDaniel must be trying to get him to speak at the GOP Convention.
ScottOnEarth
One word. One mistake should not end his career. We ALL say stupid, thoughtless things and everyone deserves a 2nd chance.
gotblueeyes2
It’s like when your drunk and you say all the stuff that you wouldn’t normally say and when you sober up you realize what you said! Well he’s said that word before because there was no pause or oops of oh NO I shouldn’t have said that even if he thought the mic was off. So “man of faith” got caught saying a bad thing now he has to own it!!!
Pii
I want to know who he was talking to. Its obviously someone with whom he felt comfortable enough to use the slur.
jckfmsincty
He has always seemed like a constricted, uber conservative Republican.
nunya
If it’s such a god awful slur, why do we use it amongst ourselves? If it’s such a horrible word it should be just as abhorrent for us to use as it would for someone outside the “community.” I feel the same about the N word. Let’s stop feigning offense.
Cam
You’ve made multiple posts defending this guy and your main argument is that since gay people use that word it’s fine for him?
So by your logic then, there is no problem with a cop screaming the N word as he arrests a black person because some black people use the word?
Nice try.
o.codone
@ Cam. You’re ragging on nunya for his multiple posts, while *you* have three comments posted on this story alone. You comment on every story, and very often, you’re the first. You comment on your own comments. And your smug “nice try” is intimidating. You’re a bully with apparently nothing else to do except spend every moment of your time watching what’s going on on this site. Really dude, go find something else to do besides watching the moment to moment goings-on on Queerty.
Preppy1000
He lost me when he said he was ‘a man of faith’. Very good. Use religion to justify your homophobia. And ‘that’s not who I am’ ? Then why did you say it?
innocentgay
Everyone seems to be ignoring a very important question here; WHERE is one of the gay capitals of the world? Is it Cincinnati? Kansas City? Ray St. Clair Roofing?
Matthewnow
Let he without sin…..