Thom Brennaman, the Cincinnati Reds broadcaster who was suspended over an homophobic slur caught on a mic live Wednesday, wants the LGBTQ community to know that he's "truly and deeply" sorry.
On Thursday, Fox Sports announced that the veteran announcer had been suspended indefinitely for the "abhorrent, unacceptable" language he used during a Wednesday broadcast of a Reds game against the Kansas City Royals _ when he was unknowingly recorded describing an undisclosed place as "one of the f-- capitals of the world."
Reaction against his language exploded as soon as the hot mic incident was shared on social media platforms. Some sports fans demanded his immediate dismissal, while a number of Reds players expressed outrage at the remark.
As a result, the longtime announcer was "pulled off the air, and effective immediately was suspended from doing Reds broadcasts," the team said in a statement Wednesday night.
During an on-air apology, Brennaman said he was "deeply ashamed" for the remark, and he wanted to apologize to the "people who sign my paycheck," to the Reds, to Fox Sports Ohio and to "anybody that I've offended here tonight."
LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD called the apology "incredibly weak and not enough."
In an opinion piece published by The Cincinnati Enquirer on Thursday evening, Brennaman went further with his mea culpa.
"I used a word that is both offensive and insulting," he wrote, acknowledging that, "the simple fact is, what I said was wrong."
"In the past 24 hours, I have read about its history; I had no idea it was so rooted in hate and violence and am particularly ashamed that I, someone who makes his living by the use of words, could be so careless and insensitive. It's a word that should have no place in my vocabulary and I will certainly never utter it again," he wrote.
While he can't erase what he has done, Brennaman wrote that the one thing he can do is to "humbly apologize, accept the consequences of my actions and resolve to be better and behave differently from now on."
"To the LGBTQ+ community _ I am truly and deeply sorry. You should never be denigrated with crude and hateful language. I failed you, and I cannot say enough how sorry I am," he added.
Brennaman vowed to improve his understanding of "LGBTQ+ issues and not in a way to simply check a box to keep my job, but to sincerely have an impact and change," adding that he plans to "participate in diversity, equity and inclusion training."
A spokesperson to GLAAD told the Daily News that the organization is "reaching out to MLB to offer support as they move this forward."
