REPORT: The CW Adds Thom Brennaman For Pac-12 Football Broadcasts 4 Years After On-Air Homophobic Slur

Joe Londergan | Jul 22, 2024

Thom Brennaman ghows-OH-200818439-4e5b9fef.jpg / Sam Greene/Enquirer via Imagn Content

Per a report from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, former Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman has been hired by The CW to broadcast a number of the network's college football games this season. This will include a handful of games featuring the remaining two Pac-12 teams, starting with the August 31 matchup between Oregon State and Idaho State.

Brennaman was fired by Fox Sports and the Reds in 2020 after saying a homophobic slur during a broadcast of a Reds game, which was picked up by a hot microphone. Brennaman's attempt at an on-air apology has since become a much-reused meme.

Brennaman claims to have spent a portion of the last four years doing outreach to the LGBTQ+ community, particularly in Cincinnati to learn from his mistake.

Oregon State has six games scheduled for The CW this season and Washington State has five. The CW also has a number of ACC matchups set for this season. Broadcast talent for each matchup has not been publicly announced yet.

Published Jul 22, 2024

JOE LONDERGAN

Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.