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Cincinnati Reds Play-By-Play Veteran Thom Brennaman Resigns After On-Air Slur

Longtime Cincinnati Reds TV broadcaster Thom Brennaman resigned Friday from the team and from Fox Sports Ohio a little more than a month after he was suspended for uttering an anti-gay slur on an open mic during a broadcast. He exits the role as the MLB franchise’s play-by-play announcer he has held since 2007

The incident occurred during the broadcast of a Reds-Kansas City Royals doubleheader August 19. Brennaman was picked up by a microphone after returning from a commercial break during Game 1 and, seemingly not aware that he was on the air, made the derogatory slur.

He later apologized during the broadcast but exited midway through Game 2 and was suspended by the Reds and Fox Sports Ohio soon after.

Brennaman has called major league games for 33 years, 27 of them with Fox Sports. He is the son of Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman, a Reds icon.

“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,” the team said in a statement today confirming his exit. “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.”

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