Thom Brennaman is returning to national airwaves after a 4-year exile, and he's doing so to call college football games, The Athletic reported Sunday.
Brennaman, 60, has been a national play-by-play voice for decades, but he's most widely known for his unceremonious exit. Calling a Cincinnati Reds-Kansas City Royals game for Cincinnati TV on Aug. 19, 2020, Brennaman referred to Kansas City as the "f-- capital of the world," in a comment that unknowingly went out over the air.
Brennaman immediately recognized the gravity of his mistake, and his attempt at an apology immediately became a meme.
Brennaman did not finish the game, and has not spoken to a national audience since then, but he's set to return as the lead voice of The CW's college football coverage this fall. He'll split his time between the ACC and what's left of the Pac-12, beginning with Idaho State-Oregon State on Aug. 31.
“There are no words to describe how grateful I am that they’re rolling the dice,” Brennaman told The Athletic. “They don’t have to do this.”
As the piece explains, Brennaman has spent much of the past four years making amends with the gay community, within Cincinnati and across the country. Over that time he's developed a relationship with Cyd Zeigler, the co-founder of Outsports, who championed Brennaman's return.
“I pumped my fist in the air and said, ‘Finally!’” Zeigler said. “Somebody gave this guy a chance that he deserved. I’m so proud of The CW.”
While he spent most of his career calling Major League Baseball, the NFL and the Cincinnati Reds, Brennaman was Fox's lead voice of the BCS from the 2006 season through 2009. He called three national championship games over that span, as well as the iconic Boise State-Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl.
The CW did its due diligence into Brennaman, and over that time, The CW president Dennis Miller said, “It became clear that he has taken full responsibility for his actions,”
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.