Although I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, I can only call myself a casual Reds fan. From 2010-2013, I followed them pretty heavily, but then they rushed the speedy Billy Hamilton to the majors and overpaid Homer Bailey, deceived by his two no-hitters in less than a calendar year. They haven’t had a winning record since 2013 and subsequently haven’t been newsworthy. That is until Thom Brennaman, son of Hall of Fame Reds commentator Marty Brennaman, was caught on a hot mic saying a homophobic slur in between the two games of a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals. The Cincinnati Reds started trending on Twitter and people were calling for Brennaman to be fired. Surprisingly, Thom Brennaman was still commentating the second game of the doubleheader for a few innings until he was pulled off the broadcast after saying the following apology:
”Jim Day’s gonna be taking us the rest of the way through this game... I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went over the air that I am deeply ashamed of. If I have hurt anyone out there, I can’t tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart I’m so very, very sorry. I pride myself and think of myself as a man of faith... I don’t know if I’m gonna be putting on this headset again. I don’t know it it’s gonna be for the Reds. I don’t know if it’s gonna be for my bosses at Fox. I want to apologize for the people who sign my paycheck - for the Reds, for Fox Sports Ohio, for the people I work with, for anybody that I’ve offended here tonight. I can’t begin to tell you how deeply sorry I am. That is not who I am. It never has been. And I’d like to think maybe I could have some people... that could back that up. I am very, very sorry, and I beg for you forgiveness. Jim Day will take you the rest of the way home.”
Brennaman was suspended soon after. As soon as I saw the video, I knew he was going to be fired. It’s not like he dropped the f-bomb you yell out when you stub your toe. If Brennaman was caught saying “Are you f**king kidding me?”, he gets suspended, but he probably keeps his job. However, the use of a homophobic slur, especially in the workplace, implies bigotry and prejudice. That may sound harsh, but it’s clear that Brennaman is only sorry because he got caught. He notably points out the comment was caught on the air. Then he plays the religion card which I have a big problem with because it only makes the situation worse. Religious institutions and the homosexual community have historically been at odds, to put it nicely. Also, if you want to tout how you are a man of faith, here’s some scripture:
”Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you used it will be measured to you.” - Matthew 7:1-2
Finally, after learning about the systematic abuses of multiple religious institutions over the last century or so, citing your faith doesn’t inspire the same moral high ground that it used to. Is Thom Brennaman perfect? No. Are you and I perfect? No. We make mistakes that we can learn from. Unfortunately, he made a mistake that will cost him his job. Don’t mention your faith or how it went over the air. That doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is you said something hateful and you got caught doing it. This is where you say something to the effect of, “I said something that should not be in my vocabulary. It shouldn’t be said anywhere by anyone. Doesn’t matter if it’s in the workplace which is what I did and it doesn’t matter if it is broadcast to millions or if you say it in your private moments at home. I should never have said that word. I apologize to everyone for my use of a homophobic slur that has caused many people pain.”
Instead, Brennaman first apologized to those who pay him which is just not a good PR move. As long as he apologizes to everybody in a singular statement, I don’t really care, but the court of public opinion will eviscerate him for not apologizing first to the LGBTQ+ community.
The truth is that Thom Brennaman is sorry he got caught. If he was truly sorry, he would’ve apologized as soon as he said it. However, there was a delayed reaction before it got to the Reds public relations team which is why Brennaman still commentated some of the second game of the doubleheader. Then, word got to Brennaman and he made his apology.
I do want to mention one last thing. In 2011, Thom Brennaman’s father, Marty Brennaman, said Marshall University’s president must be "queer" for softball at the university’s baseball banquet and fundraiser. Here’s Marty Brennaman’s statement on the matter:
”I probably could have made a better choice of words, but in now way does that reflect my opinion about gays at all. It’s just a comment I made about the president of the university.”
But remember, they want you to know that’s not who they are. Just something to think about.
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