Dave Benz out as Timberwolves play-by-play voice on Bally Sports North
Dave Benz will not return for an 11th season calling Minnesota Timberwolves games on Bally Sports North.
The shocking announcement was made by Benz Thursday morning.
"Thank you to the [Timberwolves] and [Bally Sports North] for 10 amazing years. I am blessed to have established lifelong friendships with so many colleagues, players, coaches & fans! Thank you for letting me be your soundtrack for 769 broadcasts next to my brother [Jim Petersen]!" Benz wrote.
Thank you to the @Timberwolves and @BallSportsNor for 10 amazing years. I am blessed to have established lifelong friendships with so many colleagues, players, coaches & fans! Thank you for letting me be your soundtrack for 769 broadcasts next to my brother @jimpetehoops! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
— Dave Benz (@davebenz) May 5, 2022
Benz told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic that he is "heartbroken" by the "gut-wrenching" decision by Bally's and the Timberwolves to let him go, with Krawczynski reporting that both Bally's and the Timberwolves supported the decision.
@davebenz was told by @BallySportsNOR that they “were looking for a fresh start” and so they decided not to exercise the option on his contract. “It was my dream job.”
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) May 5, 2022
Why Benz was let go is unclear, but Benz told Krawczynski it was not a disciplinary decision. Other questions now need answers, too, like the status of longtime analyst Jim Petersen and who will become the new play-by-play announcer.
The Timberwolves issued the following statement to Bring Me The News:
“We would like to thank Dave Benz for his 10 years of service as the Minnesota Timberwolves play-by-play voice. We appreciate all the memories he has provided our players and fans from his calls throughout the years. We wish him the best of luck in the next chapter of his broadcasting career.”
Related: Bally Sports streaming service launching for $20 per month
Bring Me The News has reached out to Bally Sports North for comment.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.