Cincinnati Reds Broadcaster Thom Brennaman Suspended After On-Air Homophobic Slur

[Anonymous]

In the latest mea culpa, on Wednesday, very well known Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman was suspended indefinitely after he made an on-air homophobic slur right after he was caught unawares on mic after the Fox Sports Ohio feed returned from a commercial break before the top of the seventh inning in the first game of a doubleheader at Kansas City. He said that some city was “one of the f-g capitals of the world” during the Reds broadcast.

Not realizing this had been caught on air, he went on to call the game as usual while social media was blowing up in response to the slur. When he was presumably alerted to this in his headset, in the middle of his broadcast, he 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."

After pausing to announce a home run by Cincinnati's Nick Castellanos, Brennaman added: "I don't know if I'm going to be putting on this headset again" and apologized to the Reds, Fox Sports and his coworkers. "I can't begin to tell you how deeply sorry I am," Brennaman said. "That is not who I am and never has been. I like to think maybe I could have some people who can back that up. I am very, very sorry and I beg for your forgiveness."

Sigh...

Do I believe people can change? Sure, absolutely...people can change OVER TIME, but that doesn't happen within two hours of you dropping an on air homophobic slur. Is he trying to convince the world that suddenly he is some totally upstanding guy who would NEVER say something like....what he literally just did? Keep in mind, whether he knew it or not, this guy was mic'd up. Anyone who has been in the business as long as he has, knows that someone could flip that on air switch at any time, so probably not the best place for one to just freely show their true colors. What's even worse, is he went on in his apology to say he is a man of faith as if that somehow should just clear things right on up and make it right with the world.

No one just says something like that randomly. Racism, sexism, homophobia, all of that isn't just sitting there at the ready from good upstanding people who never would do anything to hurt or marginalize another group. These are things people like him say all the time, and unfortunately they are never called on it because either they hang out with like minded people or they are just never caught in a public way....until now.

Well, the string of apologies have been piling up from players, from his own family, from Fox, from lawyers, and everyone else in between about how this guy does not represent them or how they feel about the LGBTQI+ community. Social media has of course, already done away with him, and only time will tell if he will be able to work again, given zero tolerance policies for such things in contracts and all. He said it himself, he doesn't now if he will ever be able to put on the headphones again. That.

[Anonymous]

First, I hate the concept of "homophobia." Just because someone disagrees with something doesn't mean they're scared if it. I wish this term would fucking die a violent death.

Second, he shouldn't have said what he said. It is wrong to be disrespectful or hateful toward anyone regardless how much you disagree with them.

Third, I don't think he should be fired. He apologized, and should be given time to "bear fruits worthy of repentance"

[8lutty]

i think as long as he doesn't directly affect those he hate (like cause them fired, or thing like that), he should have the right to said he hate them, esp he doesn't mean to broadcast it, if he have to sry, he should only be sorry for doesn't turn off the mics

[supercutebutt]

If this guy was in high school, we could cut him sum slack for being young and dumb. But this dude is old and living in 2020. He should know better. Maybe let him keep his job but make him broadcast all of this season and next while wearing leather chaps and/or one of those tail buttpugs that are gaining in popularity.

I am sorry

[007kingifrit]

lol such intolerance, and a current year fallacy to boot

[supercutebutt]

@007kingifrit We aren't living in 2020?

[007kingifrit]

it is a current year fallacy to suggest that there is significance in the year. as if somehow we are progressing towards something. we aren't.

do you really think that when climate change hits and the quality of life drops your peaceful tolerant ways will survive? of course not. your values and inclusivity can only exist in times of extreme luxury. that coach's ideas are more durable than yours

[supercutebutt]

@007kingifrit Everything you type is nonsense.

[007kingifrit]

no its pretty profound actually. all of your values can only exist in times of luxury, that coach's ideas are more enduring

[supercutebutt]

@007kingifrit I am most helpful and you aren't. That can't feel very good. :)

[007kingifrit]

you care about such shallow things? you must be terrified of the existential dread of my comments to distract yourself like this

hatred always win in the end

[supercutebutt]

@007kingifrit Is that why you think Trump will win? Cuz hatred always wins?

[ObscuredBeyond]

But was he right about that particular city? And if sticking the tool of life in the hole of death is something to be proud of, then why the aggravation about him associating a city with it?

"Gay" "pride" makes no sense at all. Neither does this totalitarian thought control insanity.

The fake apology was dumb though. He should know by now the mobs are never appeased, until blood is spilled. He should've instead hunkered down, tripled down, and stocked up on incendiary ammo!

Answer the mob in the only language it understands: ultraviolence!

To call someone a "phobe," and then immediately give them a legitimate reason to fear you, is patent absurdity and hypocrisy. Lefttardation, and separation from God, causes both gay activists and Islamic ones to be equally guilty of this absurdity. With equally destructive results.

[8lutty]

his sorry is the dumpest thing he does, should have said it is a joke or sthing

[OlderAndWiser]

A television show can be entitled "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," and that is perfectly acceptable, but. . . but if I refer to a homosexual as a "queer," the SJW kingdom will send a rain of flaming arrows in my direction.

A rap"artist" can call other blacks "nigga" all day long but let someone else do that and they are in the shit for sure.

WITF is wrong with this culture? You think you can control what certain people think by what they say and everyone is chomping at the bit to find the next offender who can be placed in the guillotine. You are so eager to prove how woke you are that you don't care how ridiculous all of this shit gets. PC idiots, beware - you may be next.

And, unlike the poster of this fine example of PC nonsense, notice that I am not posting anonymously.

[worldscolide]

yeah you're exactly right... People like ms anon are whats wrong with this country.

[NarutoUzumaki007]

there is a reason why they are called hypocrites. They have double standards and choose to criticize selectively like the instances you mentioned above

[cth96190]

What creates actual hate in the minds of people who did not care yesterday, is when the Marxist/homosexual outrage mob descends upon anyone who expresses a view that is not aligned with the mob’s dogma of the day.
Keep on going gay boys. You digging your own grave.

[DaMack999]

Exactly just cause someone has different view from you shouldn't be crucified.

[Thatsamazing]

@DaMack999 ... Um. He wasn't crucified-- he lost his job. He speaks to the public about a sports team, and he offended a large swath of that public. He's not dead. Hopefully he learns from the experience and comes out a better person.

[Guanfei]

You're right, he's not dead. No one is. All is there are people crying about a word.

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei No one is crying. He is correctly being harshly criticized. Being critical of a person who deserves criticism isn't "crying."

[Guanfei]

@Thatsamazing No, he's not criticized, he's been fired and attacked by people who consider words are worth ruining lives. No one is dead, no one was harmed, yet the guy lost his job, and probably his career.
This is typically the behavior of a mob asking for a totalitarian society, a thought police, but only for what they want. You'll never see anyone sacked for insulting white people, or straight people.

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei "No one is harmed" ... except that words have power. What you mean is, YOU weren't harmed by his words. And sure, neither was I. But I still recognize, even as an unharmed person, that it was unprofessional and uncalled for. Does everyone love a good scapegoat? Yes. Does the Internet as an aggregate over overreact to situations like this? Yes. Does he still deserve to lose his job? Yes. These things can, and do, exist all at the same time.

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei "You'll never see anyone sacked for insulting white people, or straight people." Um... white people and straight people are not historically disenfranchised or abused people in America. inb4 your inevitable "but what about the Irish and the Italians" comment, since they weren't looked-down upon for being white-- their nationality was the issue. And no, the majority of people are straight, so... I don't know why you would think that historically disenfranchised groups are the same as historically non-disenfranchised groups.

[Guanfei]

@Thatsamazing Oh please shut up. No one was harmed. Did you see anyone sent to the hospital after hearing his word? Anyone dying from it? No.
It's just a bunch of weakasses in need of attention, who refuse that anyone in the world dares to not praise them at every time of the day. Typical twitter dwellers who are after anything that could give earn them attention, by crying everywhere how they're perpetually offended by any word, not only words said, but also things they think they've understood, or things that could be said but never was.
This is bullshit of the highest caliber, and if a simple word is worth taking everything someone built for all his life, then you're the problem, not him.

[Guanfei]

@Thatsamazing If you seek equality, then treat people equality. Don't serve me that "it's different!" bullshit.
Either you seek equality, or you don't. And people like you don't. What you want is the privilege of attacking people you hate based on their sexuality or their color, and nothing else. You want to be able to insult them, punish them, attack them freely. That's all there is to it.
And yes, it is a privilege. A right you give yourself, but refuse to those you hate. The bullshit speech you've just written is a pure product of a cancerous twitter culture based on the hate of people you consider as "evil" just because, again, of their color or their sexuality.
And since it's openly allowed and used, it is, in fact, oppression. Just because they're the majority doesn't mean it doesn't apply to them. If you act like an oppressor, you're an oppressor, no matter if you're a minority or not.

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei You desperately lack perspective, mate. Desperately. You also don't know what the word "oppressor" means, presumably because you yourself have never been oppressed and aren't interested in reading about what it really means. He isn't being "oppressed"-- he said something bad and was fired for it. Your characterization of "harm" is also particularly slim, and focused entirely on physical harm, as though that's the only kind of harm that exists.

Sigh.

[Guanfei]

@Thatsamazing You're just another snowflake wanting so much to feel like a "victim" that all you're ready to do is brush of the bad actions of the side you defend, and also defend attacking the "evil majority".
There is no "perspective" to that. You want a privilege, as I explained, the privilege of doing whatever you like, attacking whoever you like, without consequences. While forbidding any possible critic of your own size.
Your dream society is just a society divided into "victims" casts, where you'd consider people's worth through how many "minority" cases they can check. A totalitarian society where any speech not praising you should be criminalized, and where firing and discriminating people you see as the "bad people" is totally fine.
In fact, the society you want to build is not different than what you can find in China, except that instead of the CCP, it's the LGBT community that you want to be untouchable. Turn that however you want, that's all you want to do. A cast divided society. With you on top of course.

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei (yawns) Oh. Okay. That's nice.

[Guanfei]

@Thatsamazing Thanks for your argument, son. That really taught me something. Oh, I guess you're also the kind of guy who consider that no one except white people can be racist, or women can't be sexist.

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei Oh honey. This was never an argument. And you're clearly an idiot. I don't think that other nonsense you're projecting at all, because it isn't a logical way of thinking. Please, continue. This has quickly reached "you are my entertainment for the morning" territory, with you.

[Guanfei]

@Thatsamazing Yes, sure, no more argument from you, as expect. HUR DUR U NO EVEN AT MY LVL.
Please, kid, go back to twitter. You'll find plenty of people like you there, you'll feel welcome.

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei Don't have one. Come on you can do better than that. Get creative! I believe in you!

[Guanfei]

@Thatsamazing Creative? Oh no, kid, I let the whole making up things, words, and definitions to you, since you like twisting words definitions to fit your own propaganda. The way you took every word like equality, racism, sexism, oppression, victim, offense... and twisted it so you could do all those things to the evil majority, and pretend it wasn't, that it's "different" as you said.
But since you have no other argument than that, nothing else than "it's different", I guess there is nothing else to get from you.

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei Um... I didn't use any of those words.

Anyway, no no no see, come on, like, blame the Jews for everything, or something. Or like start talking about vaccines or gay frogs or whatever. You can do better.

[Guanfei]

@Thatsamazing Oh look, he's trying to pretend I'm like crazy Jones or something. How surprising. What's next, kid, are you going to tell me I'm a nazi? Or maybe will you call me a slaver? I mean, you guys have a large selection of word you constantly throw around, as if they were arguments.
So, go ahead. Tell me what I am. Am I worshiping Hitler too, since we're at it? You're starting well, don't disappoint me.

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei Well... no, wasn't planning on it. I had higher hopes for you though. Can you do anything else?

[Guanfei]

@Thatsamazing You mean, aside from reading your pathetic failed attempt at looking smarter by calling me names? I could, but I have more interesting things to do. More interesting people to answer to.

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei Names... like Bill? George? Daniel? I haven't called you any names. You're getting boring. But I still have hope. For you. For us. Here, in this moment.

[Guanfei]

@Thatsamazing Sure thing kid. Nice thing you've run out of any relevant argument by now, it's nice to see you drown in your own mediocrity.
So, should we stop now, or do you have more preschool jokes to throw as arguments?

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei Mmm... yes, fascinating. You're doing better now, I think we're back on the upswing. Keep it up

[Guanfei]

@Thatsamazing I guess that we're done then, since you apparently have nothing relevant to say.

[Thatsamazing]

@Guanfei That's nice. Do you like pizza?

[supercutebutt]

Further proof that cth96190 has a bad ass and nobody wants to penetrate it. Sorry you have an ugly ass, dude. :(

[007kingifrit]

@supercutebutt you need to learn about yuri bezmenov's warning. communism teaches tolerance of gays and invents fake genders to divide us. almost everything you believe was invented by fake academics to divide us with the trojan horse of tolerance

[supercutebutt]

@007kingifrit I have chosen not to tolerate you so I'm good :)

[007kingifrit]

@supercutebutt that's not how this works. you aren't a society you are an individual. you may only make this choice if you represent the will of society. it has to be against immutable characteristics and has to be all encompassing to all those who have those characteristics

not a choice you can make against me without being a bigot

[BeMuse]

Damn you gay people are starting to sound like black people… What’s wrong? Are you too ashamed of yourself that you can’t have a capital? Because I know it’s perfectly fine in the gay community to have gay neighborhoods, gay enclaves, gayvenues, gay ghettos, gayttos, gay districts, gaytowns, gayborhoods, and gay meccas. You have gay churches, you throw gay parades, and have gay months, gay biker gangs, and a gay flag but god forbid a capital… This is a classic case of nigga nigga nigga what did he say nigga? No way nigga he didn’t say nigga lets kill that white nigga… When you do dumb shit like act offended when someone is doing what you are doing every day, you can’t expect people to take you serious.

[glock33sig357]

Why is this term being homophobic make any sense to individuals who're not AFRAID of anyone in that community? Some of the same people in the community will have no qualms of calling a black man a ni&&er and not get called out on their bullsh! t, but if what he says is true that one state has more of the LGBTQ+ than the others is that so offensive? Or is it that he said FAG? The fact that it was broadcast on the air is unfortunate but if he was guilty of assaulting them along with his mindset; i can see a reason for the huge outrage then.

[DaMack999]

Dude didn't deserve that he even apologize on mid air while his still doing his job and announcing the plays. AM GETTING TIRED OF THESE OVERLY SENSRITIVE PEOPLE SERIOUSLY. GUY GOT HOME, FAMILY, AND BILLS TO PAY FOR. IN COVOID 19 AND FIRED. THAT'S HEARTLESS. AT LEAST TEACH DUDE A LESSON AND GIVE HIM FEW WEEKS SUSPENDSION. THIS TELLS ME RADIO BROADCASTERS NEED TO UNIONIZE. FOR REAL NO RESPECT FOR HUMAN ERROR.

[coachTanthony]

If everyone had a hot mic in their homes we would all be asking for forgiveness! Everyone has said something they regret! I know the man and his father personally and have never heard him use this language in my prescience! He should apologize and reap the consequences. In the end he and everyone should be given another chance especially when we have all said something we aren’t proud of... we just never got caught either... so does that make us any better?

[007kingifrit]

he shouldn't even regret it, he did nothing wrong

[Walrus_au]

He's free to say it. and the sport is free to say they don't want to tollerate or put up with that kind of behaviour. Good for the broadcasting company.

Don't want to be fired for being a homophobic or hateful jerk, don't be a homophobic or hateful jerk.
Astonishingly simple really.

[Akachan]

Don't say words that don't belong to you. He should've said "gayest capital" not fag, fag is a slur. I mean you wouldn't call a city with a majority of black people the niggerest city.
Also no one outside of the community can accept his apology it's not your apology to accept.
I'm black and gay✨try me✨

[Dansnlawlipop]

This is my thing:
You know what the word means. You know what it is used to convey. You know who the target is.
Why not call them something else that actually conveys the way you feel about them (performance, etc)? Unless you were trying to insult their sexual orientation (for some reason).

The apology-after-I'm-caught means nothing to me other than showing that you like to save face but are truly an ass in private.

[Darcia]

He apologized, as society we should accept his apology. Everyone makes mistakes this is very common. Should he be fired? No, but should he get less airtime, yes. Brian Williams was fired for misspeaking. We hear lots and lots of news anchors being fired, why not this guy? In this time and age he should’ve known that speaking inappropriately especially with a job such as his his punishment will not be taken lightly.

[888theGreat]

brian williams was not fired , he was promoted to MSNBC

[raven6933]

Saying"I am sorry" is not an apology, but a presence of being and that he definitely is sorry. Just another trying to hold his position, I guess he figures if one can do why not him. Just wondering if they will do like the media that carried dog the bounty hunter did. Wait till it blows over then allow to return?

[Anonymous]

One mistake couldn't cost the man his career. Guy has been on air for a while and from what I've heard of him, he's usually reserved making jokes. Granted I don't know everything about him.

So what if he made the remarks, either he wasn't aware of the hot mic or it was an accident. You can't swing the axe to everyone for words. Shit happens.

We are in a world where everyone gets offended by the simplest shit

[Bowdabra]

I mean this might hurt peoples felling and stuff but I could care less about what he said and who he said it too. There is way too much important stuff going on in the world to worry about a homophobic slur. Now i am excuseing what he said or did he would not have said it but he did.

[madgoat]

For a number of reasons, and based on what you're telling us, I'd be inclined to cut him a break if this is a first offence. I'm not in favour of destroying someone's career because of one off the cuff comment.

[Anonymous]

Yes, cancel him over a word, ruin a life and act by hatred
Jeez, i thought lgbtiq+ people had to show they were different from people who acts with rage, stupidity and unjustified fear.
Yes, it's shitty to use the word, or to imply being queer as being negative, but i think a better answer should've been "why did you mean by that?" and expose his shitty behaviour, make him explain himself, "educate" him, so to speak.
If you cut down the heads of every lgbtiq+ hater, you'll only get more hate. The point should be to show them lgbtiq+ are, of course, also people, and that they don't deserve to be hated or afraid of.
And no, i have no idea who this guy is.

[Likes2drive]

Yeah next time he needs to put his hand over the mic when venting, people are so sensitive these days, I guess free speech is out the window on this one if you do it during work. Obviously his opinion wasn’t changing in 2 hours, he was just sorry they heard his opinion on air

[Anonymous]

Always amuses me about Americans. You get so uppity about such things yet you've a kiddies cartoon with British homophobic slurs as the title & one of the main character (Fairy Godparents & Poof, Fair & Poof are both British slurs for gays). Shows how stupid Americans are. If it isn't as obvious as the nose in front of their idiotic faces and slowwitted brains they don't know it's offensive.

[di6n9]

Definitely feel bad for him. The guys' comments already said it all. Oversensitive people are now firing every possible person out there.

[Anonymous]

If they placed a microphone in every house in the United States for one day, I guarantee 100% of those recorded would be caught saying something they shouldn’t have... including you the asker...

[myTake Owner]

This guy was at work. Not his home, and I am positive he can be fired for this in his contract.

[Opinion Owner]

So? People still talk crazy at work too... literally all the time

[Thatsamazing]

Yeah uh, he was at work. Not his house. So...

[supercutebutt]

If we put a microphone and a camera up your asshole we would see and hear how everybody is repulsed by your ugly ass. If you had an attractive ass, you wouldn't come off as such an asshole. The uglier the ass, the greater the likelihood of asshole behavior. It's almost like since your asshole gets no attention, your whole persona turns into an asshole in an attempt to get attention. What a world we live in!

[8lutty]

this a hypocrite world bro