Thom Brennaman joins the CW as college football play-by-play announcer, four years after a shouting match

Thom Brennaman was ousted from the broadcast booth in 2020 for his homophobic comments during a hot mic moment before a Reds game, but four years later he’s returning as a play-by-play commentator.

The ex-Reds broadcast voice is switching sports, covering college football games for The CW. He will be the lead play-by-play man for the organization’s college football coverage this season, according to The Athletic.

Brennaman’s first game back in the booth is August 31, the Oregon State-Idaho State game.

“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.”

The CW welcomes him to the team after he established a permanent spot in the sports programming world in 2023. Here’s why the company hired Brennaman and what he said in 2020 that got him fired.

MORE: Is the Nick Castellanos Effect Real?

Why did the CW hire Thom Brennaman?

Brennaman has been out of the booth for four years now, but before his 2020 incident, he had been a longtime commentator for multiple teams and sports.

He has covered the Cubs, Diamondbacks and Reds in MLB and has done national broadcasts for MLB, the NFL and college football. He has announced a college football championship and was even on the mic for Derek Jeter’s famous flip to home plate.

The CW knew of his past before the 2020 incident and asked others in the broadcast industry if they would vouch for Brennaman.

“It became clear that he took full responsibility for his actions,” said Dennis Miller, CW chairman.

Bob Costas, a veteran broadcaster, was one of the people who approached the CW. Costas said:

“Neither Thom nor anyone else denies that he made a serious mistake. A mistake for which some consequence would have been appropriate. But the price he paid is more than disproportionate. Especially when you consider that he had a good reputation before the incident, and has taken all the right steps to make amends since. His return to the stand is overdue and I am sure the public will be happy to hear his voice again.”

In addition to his previous reporting on baseball and football, Brennanman comes from a broadcasting family. His father, Marty Brennaman, is a Hall of Fame radio announcer.

MORE: What are the best college football games to watch in 2024?

What did Thom Brennaman say?

Brennaman was caught on a hot mic saying, “one of the f-capitals of the world.”

He was doing play-by-play for the Reds vs. Royals game on August 19, 2020, and thought his microphone was off. Of course, it wasn’t, and his comment immediately went viral.

Brennaman made the comment during the pregame broadcast and eventually addressed it during the fifth inning of the game, apologizing and understanding that he might never return to the broadcast booth.

While his use of the homophobic slur was an important lesson, it’s the apology that is remembered so vividly four years later. He began his speech during Nick Castellanos’ at-bat before the Reds slugger interrupted him with a home run.

“I made a comment earlier tonight that I think went viral and I’m deeply ashamed of it. If I hurt anyone, I can’t tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart that I’m very sorry. I’m proud of myself and I consider myself a man of faith, because Castellanos hits deep left field, that’s going to be a home run, and that makes it a 4-0 game.”

The quote has become a viral meme over the years, starting a trend where fans keep track of Castellanos’ home runs during times of gloom. The outfielder is now with the Phillies, and he hit a home run just hours after Brennaman’s return to the booth was announced.

Fitting.