Thom Brennaman may have lost his Fox Sports job for saying a homophobic slur live on air, but he didn’t have to wait long before another offer came along.
When the Major League baseball announcer was suspended in August for calling Kansas City “one of the fag capitals of the world”, it looked as if it would cost him his career. His attempt at an on-air apology fell short of the mark as he paused midway to comment on the game in front of him before speculating on the future of his job.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to be putting on this headset again,” he said at the time.
But a few months later, the disgraced commentator is making a return to the broadcast booth with a lucrative contract for the Roberto Clemente League in Puerto Rico.
Brennaman will serve as the league’s play-by-play man for the 2020-21 season, which begins on 15 December. He’ll make his broadcasting debut less than three months after leaving the Reds.
And it’s not like the opportunities are thin on the ground for him either: a few weeks ago he was also invited to address the WVU basketball team in Virginia.
“I can’t apologise for trying to get a job,” Brennaman said in an interview with 700 WLW ‘s Scott Sloan on 30 November. “I have a wife and two children at home. I have to support them financially.
“And some might say: ‘Well this guy has made a ton of money his whole life.’ Look: The bottom line is I have to prove to my kids and my wife that their dad or their husband can get off the deck and try to get back after making a terrible mistake instead of running and hiding.”
His goal now is to “help other people not make the same mistake that I did” as he tries to shake off the label of “homophobe”, a label he feels is unwarranted.
“I have never understood people being critical about someone saying they’re sorry. I mean there has to be something to be said for just saying you’re sorry and you were wrong. OK, now what do you do next?” he asked.
“I don’t know about [my] legacy. I don’t know about all that … But to be known in a lot of circles as a homophobe – I have never been a homophobe, not for one minute of my life.
“Have I used that word before? Yes, I’ve used that word before. Will I ever use it again? You can take it to the bank there’s no chance of that.”