In a move that was seemingly inevitable, Thom Brennaman’s Reds career is over. Plus: Kirk Herbstreit will work from home on Saturday; more college football postponements are being reversed; and more.
Brennaman era over in Cincinnati
Suspended Cincinnati Reds play-by-play voice Thom Brennaman has resigned just over a month after he was heard uttering an anti-gay slur on the air. Brennaman had been the Reds’ TV voice since 2007. The news was broken Friday by Cincinnati ABC affiliate WCPO and the Cincinnati Enquirer. In a statement, Brennaman said that it is his “hope and intention” to return to broadcasting at some point.
In their own statement, the Reds said Brennaman will remain “part of the Reds family forever.” His father Marty called Reds games from 1974-2019.
In addition to being suspended by the Reds, Brennaman was dropped from this season’s FOX NFL roster. [WCPO 9.25, Cincinnati Enquirer 9.25]
Herbstreit to work from home Saturday
ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit will work both College Gameday and ABC’s Florida State-Miami Saturday Night Football game remotely from his Nashville home on Saturday after being exposed to COVID-19. Herbstreit said Friday that he has tested negative twice but is acting in an “abundance of caution.”
Herbstreit’s Gameday colleague Lee Corso has been appearing on the show from his home this season, and a number of ESPN college football analysts have worked games remotely as well. [Herbstreit/Twitter 9.25 via ESPN PR 9.25]
Pac-12, other conferences, backtrack on postponements
The Pac-12 has voted to start its football season on November 6, reversing its decision last month to postpone all fall sports until January 1, which itself was a reversal of a previous decision to start its season on September 26. Teams would play a seven-game schedule culminating in the Pac-12 Championship Game on December 18.
The Pac-12 joins the Big Ten in following up last month’s bombshell postponements with an abrupt about-face.
Also reversing their postponements are the Mountain West and MAC, which have announced plans to start their seasons October 24 and November 4, respectively. [Pac-12 9.24, ESPN.com 9.25 a, b]
Plus: French Open, NASCAR at Homestead, NBC Sports
The Fox-branded, Sinclair-owned regional sports networks, as well as MSG, are scheduled to air daily French Open coverage during the first nine days of the tournament. The telecasts will be produced by Sinclair’s Tennis Channel, which owns French Open cable rights, but will not be simulcasts. [Related: French Open TV schedule.] … NASCAR’s annual stop at Homestead-Miami will move to the weekend after the Daytona 500 next season, according to Sports Business Journal. The race, which used to serve as the Cup Series finale, was scheduled for March this year but eventually rescheduled for June. … NBC Sports president Pete Bevacqua has been promoted to chairman, replacing Mark Lazarus in the role once held by Dick Ebersol. [Tennis Channel 9.21, SBD 9.25, NBC Sports PR 9.25]
