The crazy part of this whole story is the color commentator Chris Welsh said something crazier and more controversial than Thom and he never had to apologize happened a few years back during the longest game in Reds history against the Phillies was referring to African- Americans and how they tan. its like 4 or 5 hours into the broadcast

As someone who's not above saying horrible things in jest, if that's your brand of humor you had best know the consequences.

I get that people like him as a commentator, but he's not above the rest of us. If I got caught saying that at my job, I'm gone same-day. I expect that's the case for most of us.

(08-20-2020, 05:00 AM)Murdock2420 Wrote: I truly hate humanity at this moment.

The man made a mistake and he owned it. Yet, there is a group of mouth breathing idiots that want his life to be ruined over it. Willing to bet anyone calling for him to be fired or wanting to come down on him for it would never survive their own life being put on a hot mic or under a microscope.

Should he be suspended, yes, but it should in no way impact his career long term.

Where is Cthulhu when you need him.... because clearly humanity has reached the point of it's usefulness.

He did not own it.  He made up all sorts of excuses...not who I am, a man of faith, etc.  Well, I have news for him.  A real man of faith would have never used that slur.  If it isn't who he is, then the word would have never come out of his mouth in the first place.  Like all casual bigots, he is sorry he got caught.  He is a man who makes his living with words.  He, of all people, should understand their power

A real apology would have been something along the lines of: " I am deeply sorry for the ugly, hateful word I used to denigrate LGBTQ people.  I apologize for the hurt I caused and the disrespect I showed.  I also apologize to my organization for failing to represent their values and my lack of professionalism.  My behavior is unacceptable.  The Cincinnati Reds, their fans, and the greater community deserve better.

(08-20-2020, 09:43 AM)Big Boss Wrote: As someone who's not above saying horrible things in jest, if that's your brand of humor you had best know the consequences.

I get that people like him as a commentator, but he's not above the rest of us. If I got caught saying that at my job, I'm gone same-day. I expect that's the case with most of us.

It wasn’t in jest either. Listen to the audio you can hear the disdain in his voice.

Perhaps be could do some volunteer work to try and right his name. He's got no shot working for awhile. Big companies give this zero tolerance. The image of the company is always bigger than the individual. Thom is 56. I think he gaffed earlier this year when he had to apologize for calling a past player dead...was it Jack Clark? Imo he was slipping some and announcers need to be polished. It's unfortunate for him, but Fox had to do what's right.

(08-19-2020, 10:50 PM)pally Wrote: I hate apologies that include the phrase "its not who I am". Seriously dude, it is exactly who you are or you wouldn't have said it in the first place. You said it so casually that it is obvious that you have used that word often

What does it say that he felt comfortable enough to say it out loud in the company that he was in?

It blows me away that people are actually defending Thom on this. The overwhelming majority of employers would fire an employee for saying the exact same thing. Not in a few days, not after a suspension, but immediately. Why is he supposed to get a pass? Because of his last name? Because you like hearing him broadcast? He never apologized directly to the LGBTQ community either, just to anyone he may have offended or hurt. Thom's apology was obviously "sorry I got caught" not "sorry for what I said".

With how he said it, that's not the first time he's used that word and it rolled off his tongue with no issue. He said what he meant and he meant what he said. If his career is ruined, he did it to himself.

(08-20-2020, 02:05 PM)muskiesfan Wrote: It blows me away that people are actually defending Thom on this.

Some people just don't see anything wrong with it.  The people they hang out with talk like that so they don't see any problem.

Anything that can be used to finally get rid of Thom is great. Yet another reason why the Reds are mired in horrible nepotism. Guy in charge is an owner's son, guy managing is a FO guy's son, guy broadcasting is a broadcaster's son.

1 down, 2 to go!

Thom has now been removed from Fox's NFL coverage

(08-20-2020, 05:40 PM)pally Wrote: Thom has now been removed from Fox's NFL coverage

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29705200/thom-brennaman-pulled-fox-nfl-games-using-anti-gay-slur-air-reds-contest

Never been a fan of his.

Hard to believe he could be such a dumbass.

He failed at being a better pretender. People haven't become better humans per se, just better pretenders. I call this the fallacy of the enlightened individual. Our entire society has become a paper-thin, fraudulent facade. We have truly reached the mountain top.

And how lucky are we all to have the internet so we can instantaneously discard the unwashed and unworthy.

Not sure who did it, but someone made each and every one of us God, complete with full power of judgment and condemnation. Must be the reward for all our individual perfection. It sure is great that we've all put all our human flaws behind us so we can sit in judgment of the mere handful of humans who haven't achieved our level of perfection.

Maybe he's English and was talking about cigarettes.

It shouldn't have been said in the manner as it was by him as he deserves a suspension.

But his career shouldn't end either just because it's 2020.

A stupid thing to say whether he was next to a mic or not. But the reality is that everyone has said or done something stupid and/or offensive in their lifetime. I don't agree with his comments at all, but can I honestly say in my life I've never said something when with friends in the heat of a moment or letting a joke or comment snowball into something bigger, and said something I regretted? I've certainly done it.

Yes, he's old enough to know better. Yes it was insensitive and yes he should be fired over it. Time to cool down, time to think. And maybe if it's something out of habit or point of view he's taken one stance on, this will give him a chance to re-think and come out better in the end. I don't think his career should end over it, but no one's going to hire him tomorrow, either.

That said, no major loss in the booth as far as I'm concerned. Now if only Joe Buck could say something to get fired from the booth.....

Meanwhile... Fox has allowed Nick Cannon to keep his job as the host of the Masked Singer (a family show) after knowlingly making his dangerous views on Jewish people public. And he didn't just slip up in a single sentence. He actively participated in a lenghty discussion.

(08-20-2020, 08:05 AM)fredtoast Wrote: This is ridiculous.  There are millions of people who don't use racial or homophobic slurs.

It is only the people who hang out with mouth breathing idiots who don 't realize this.



A large majority of the population does not say that word all the time. 

No one Fred, not even you, is perfect. 

I don't care what he said, it is a damn word.

I was raised on sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me. Now, we have an entire generation that gives words power that they don't need.

I may disagree with what he said and I actually do disagree with it, but a simple month suspension is more then enough punishment. 

The cancel culture failures out there calling for his career to end are who piss me off. Since I guarantee that a Mic on their or even your life would provide worse comments then Thom's. His just got broadcast because someone turned on a mic... 


Oh.. and to anyone calling what he said "hate speech".. please read a book. Hitler was hate speech, he yelled to exterminate those who were different. 

Using a slur is a far cry from true hate.

I also find it really telling that the "moral outrage" on twitter and such over a word being said it at about a 100 on the meter, meanwhile days before this, 7 shootings happening in 24 hours with multiple people dead.... but clearly the issue in this world right now is the use of a word.. yeah... humanity has it all right...

(08-20-2020, 09:59 AM)Goalpost Wrote: Perhaps be could do some volunteer work to try and right his name.  He's got no shot working for awhile.  Big companies give this zero tolerance.  The image of the company is always bigger than the individual.  Thom is 56.  I think he gaffed earlier this year when he had to apologize for calling a past player dead...was it Jack Clark?  Imo he was slipping some and announcers need to be polished.  It's unfortunate for him, but Fox had to do what's right.

I agree with this.  Well, except for the part about 56 being old.  

I don't feel like his apology adequately addressed the people he potentially offended.  Also, it's a bit disappointing that he was so comfortable saying what he did in the presence of the rest of the broadcast crew.  Makes you wonder about the culture.

Either way, I hate to see him lose his job over one mistake, no matter how egregious and stupid.  If he makes an effort to show that he's learned from what he did, then I'm open to him returning.  He'd need to do a lot, and he'd probably have to sit out for awhile, but I think people deserve a second chance.  It would be a win for everyone involved if a genuine change and reflection came about from this shit show.

I'm also in the camp of others who know they'd likely lose their job for this kind of mistake. I carry a radio at work, and people key them all the time, letting the rest of us in on unintended and potentially actionable language. I'd never say what he said, especially in such an acrimonious manner, but if I did say something not intended for everyone's consumption and got caught, I'd hope to get a little bit of a break if it wasn't a repeat offense.

I'm as vindictive and nasty as anyone in political discourse, but perhaps that's the whole problem. Maybe some of us need to be willing to forgive and create some better dialogue before we break out the hatchet as a knee-jerk response. Applying that kind of thinking might make people less shitty to each other in general if it caught on.

(08-20-2020, 09:56 PM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: Meanwhile... Fox has allowed Nick Cannon to keep his job as the host of the Masked Singer (a family show) after knowlingly making his dangerous views on Jewish people public.  And he didn't just slip up in a single sentence. He actively participated in a lenghty discussion.

wE'rE nOt TaLkInG aBoUt tHaT wEs

Regardless of who thinks what about Thom. He messed up. He was suspended. He should have known better.

I don't know how some of you sleep at night with so much going on in the world. This is like, not even a huge deal. At all... It's just not. He was suspended. Good job to Fox right? They're damned if they do and damned if they don't. That's what it seems like at least. Yet I'm reading how Thom should be ridiculed in the streets of where he lives.

Question. How many of you have been deservingly fired? How many of you ever messed up in life? How many of you said something, and regretted it almost immediately? You learned from it I'm sure (or at least most of you did). All of you fall under one category or another. But because you weren't caught by enough witnesses, you shouldn't be ridiculed in the streets. You shouldn't face harsh punishment. There will always be that one moment in everyone's life where you look back and wonder if you said something differently, or did something differently, how different would my life be today? Better? Maybe the same if I got away with it?

Anyone who props themselves up on such a high pedestal, you're no better than Thom. Not everyone can see that obviously, but it shows to a lot of us. Check yourselves.