Ex-MLB announcer Thom Brennaman returning to TV as college football broadcaster four years after hot-mic slur

Ex-MLB broadcaster Thom Brennaman will be returning to the airwaves this fall. The former Reds play-by-play announcer has been hired by the CW as their lead play-by-play broadcaster for nationally televised college football games this coming season, according to The Athletic .

Brennaman will make his season debut Aug. 31 when Oregon State squares off against Idaho State.

The 60-year-old Brennaman has been sidelined from broadcasting since 2020, when he was caught using a homophobic slur by a hot mic during a broadcast that August . During an on-air apology, Brennaman went back into play-by-play mode as Nick Castellanos hit a home run, a moment that has been one of the most well-known baseball social media memes ever since.

Brennaman was immediately taken off air by the Reds and about a month later, announced his resignation, though the Reds had already told him he wouldn't be back.

"There are no words to describe how grateful I am that they're rolling the dice," Brennaman told The Athletic about his return to TV. "They don't have to do this."

The son of Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Marty Brennaman, Thom started doing play-by-play work in Major League Baseball in 1988. He's covered the Cubs , Diamondbacks and Reds in addition to doing national broadcasts for baseball and football.