KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Cincinnati Reds have announced the suspension of a broadcaster after he uttered an anti-gay slur on the air Wednesday.
Thom Brennaman used the slur moments after the Fox Sports Ohio broadcast returned from a commercial break before the top of the seventh inning in the first game of a doubleheader. Brennaman did not seem to realize he was already on air.
Brennaman remained on air in the second game until the top of the fifth inning, when he apologized directly to the camera before handing off play-by-play duties.
The Reds released a statement saying "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."
Fox Sports has issued a statement that says the network is moving forward with its NFL schedule and it won't include Brennaman. Fox also says Brennaman’s remarks were “abhorrent, unacceptable, and not representative of the values of Fox Sports.” Brennaman had been a part of Fox’s NFL announcer lineup since they started televising the league in 1994.
Major League Baseball was aware of the incident but did not have an immediate comment.
The son of Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman, Thom has called major league games for 33 years and has been with Fox Sports for the past 27, covering primarily baseball and football.
