Thom Brennaman is making the most of his second chance behind the microphone, and a writer for a popular LGBTQ+ sports website has praised his work since his return from exile.
Brennaman, of course, resigned as the Cincinnati Reds TV play-by-play voice in 2020 after he used a homophobic slur on the air. (In a bizarre twist, Brennaman apologized for the slur, only to be interrupted by a Nick Castellanos home run, which he called in a monotone voice before resuming his apology. That moment created a popular meme.)
Four years later, Brennaman returned to broadcasting as play-by-play announcer for ACC college football games on The CW, saying he was “overwhelmed with gratitude.”
Cyd Zeigler, a writer for Outsports.com, which bills itself as “your home for all things LGBTQ+ sports,” praised Brennaman this week for his attitude since returning.
“Brennaman’s otherwise strong professional legacy will forever have one ugly chapter, that night in 2020 calling a Cincinnati Reds game when he dropped an anti-gay slur,” Zeigler wrote. “It was a stupid comment that didn’t — from what one of his gay childhood friends professed — reflect his true feelings about gay men.
“Countless LGBTQ people in the Cincinnati area have sung his praises as a sincere man reborn. In my dozens of conversations with Brennaman, he has come across as just that. Yet some people warned that, if given said second chance, he might drop a slur again. As though the guy who saw his career ruined, spent countless hours meeting with and listening to the struggles of gay people, and might be the most-aware person in all of sports media, would let that happen.”
Brennaman has excelled in his new role with The CW. He also didn’t shy away from referencing his apology four years ago, giving a funny introduction to Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos (no relation to MLB star Nick) before a game this season.
Zeigler is happy to see Brennaman get another opportunity.
“If Brennaman never gets tapped by one of the biggest sports broadcasters to call games, The CW opportunity is more than he thought he’d ever get two years ago,” Zeigler wrote. “While I’d love to see him back on Fox Sports, or at ESPN, NBC Sports or CBS Sports, watching him reborn from the ashes of that fateful day reminds us all that second chances are a good thing, and Brennaman is deserving of the one he got.”
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.