Thom Brennaman is getting a second chance, thanks to the CW network, Nexstar Networks President (and former WLW-AM staffer) Sean Compton and multiple Emmy-winning sportscaster Bob Costas, who calls Brennaman’s return to the booth “overdue.”
Brennaman, who will be the CW’s main college football announcer on ACC games this fall, hasn’t been seen on Cincinnati television since uttering a homophobic slur at a Reds-Royals doubleheader Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020.
Coming out of a commercial break during the first game, Brennaman was heard telling someone about "the (deleted) capitols of the world" while broadcasting from Fox Sports (now Bally Sports) studio in downtown Cincinnati. The remark was heard on the MLB.TV feed, but not by Reds' Fox Sports Ohio network viewers. He was removed from the second game during the fifth inning after apologizing to viewers for the gay slur in the first time.
"I don't know if I'll 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," Brennaman told Reds viewers before leaving the airwaves that night. The next day he was dropped by Fox Broadcasting after calling NFL games for 26 years.
However, Monday morning the CW announced that Brennaman, who turns 61 in September, will be the lead announcer for ACC games on the CW’s second season of Saturday college football games.
The Athletic broke the story Sunday afternoon. Marty's wife Amanda posted a link on Facebook with the comment, "Answered prayers. Congratulations Thom!"
Compton, who oversees Nexstar’s networks (CW, Antenna TV, NewsNation and Chicago’s WGN TV/radio) told me that when he heard Brennaman had reached out to the CW, “it got my attention. Not only because I’m a biased Cincinnatian, but as a sportscaster, Thom is first class.”
Before talking to Brennaman, Compton first called legendary sportscaster Bob Costas for his opinion about hiring Brennaman, whose resume included being the TV voice for the Reds, Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks and Fox’s play-by-play announcer for the BCS National Championship Game, Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl. Brennaman, an Anderson High School graduate, left the Diamondbacks and returned to Cincinnati in 2007 to work with his father, Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman.
Here’s what Costas told Compton, and then authorized Compton to share with the media:
“Thom Brenneman has had a long and distinguished broadcasting career. And he is still more than capable of performing at a high level. Neither Thom nor anyone else denies that he had a serious misstep. A misstep for which some consequence would have been appropriate.
“But the price he has paid is beyond disproportionate. Especially when you consider that he had a fine reputation prior to the incident, and took every proper step to make amends subsequent to it. His return to the booth is overdue and I am sure the audience will be happy to hear his voice again," Costas said, according to Compton.
After the Reds yanked Brennaman off the air in the middle of an inning, the club issued 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 … 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.”
Brennaman resigned five weeks later, and was replaced before the 2021 season by John Sadak. In his Sept. 25 resignation letter he wrote:
“I truly regret what I said and I'm so very sorry. No one loves this town more than me. I have been in this profession that I love for 33 years. And 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.
“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 listened to almost daily over the last five weeks. With their continued guidance, I hope to be a voice for positive change."
Brennaman resumed his play-by play career in 2021 doing high school football games for Chatterbox Sports, a subscription based local streaming and podcast platform which covers Greater Cincinnati high school sports. He also has hosted Chatterbox podcasts called Dialed In and Off The Bench the past two years.
Brennaman will do ACC games and “select Pac-12 games” on the CW with analyst and former college quarterback Max Brown, and sideline reporter Treavor Scales, a former Harvard running back and host of pre- and post-game shows for the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks.
He will make his CW debut Saturday, Aug. 31, calling Idaho State at Oregon State, the second game of a Pac-12 doubleheader. The new CW Football Saturday studio show debuts Aug.31, with host Mike Yam, before the kick off of the Pac-12’s Portland State at Washington State game.
His weekly ACC telecasts begin 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, with Marshall University at Virginia Tech. The CW will air Ole Miss at Wake Forest in prime-time at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14.
CW Network President Dennis Miller said in a release that his network’s second college football season would be “bigger than ever with coast-to-coast coverage of powerhouse teams from the ACC and Pac-12 conferences."
“With the addition of the new live studio preshow and a roster of expert commentators, reporters and analysts, the CW is poised to become a premier college football destination on broadcast television for fans every Saturday this fall,” Miller said in the statement.
