Thom Brennaman has a history of making apologies: So why was his initial mea culpa for using an anti-gay slur so bad?

Slate

The Fox Sports and Cincinnati Reds announcer has made all kinds of apologies since 2002, says Samer Kalaf. But as Kalaf points out, Brennaman's apology Wednesday night for using an anti-gay slur wasn't just notable for him interrupting it to call a homerun. "The midapology home run call wasn’t the only off-putting thing about Brennaman’s mea culpa," says Kalaf. "He delivered those words with the gravitas of a sports broadcaster who knows something has gone terribly wrong; it’s the same voice he’d use for a player who suffered a serious injury. But the announcer’s transparently insincere statement didn’t match his tone. Brennaman starts off by saying that he’s a 'man of faith,' which has no relevance as to whether he would say something bigoted and homophobic. He then says he wants to apologize to those who employ him and pay him money, then adds, 'That is not who I am,' a sentence that is clearly false given that he’d said the slur only a couple of hours before. Then comes the plea for someone else to defend him—a desperate attempt to convince everyone, again, that the guy we’d just heard on the air isn’t the real Thom Brennaman." Brennaman offered a second apology Thursday, in which he claimed ignorance about the origins of the slur, but promised “to start improving my understanding of LGBTQ+ issues and not in a way to simply check a box to keep my job.” "That’s the right sentiment, but as of now there’s no reason to believe it’s sincere," says Kalaf. "Brennaman made it clear enough in his first statement that keeping his job is all he cares about." ALSO: OutSports.com founder Cyd Zeigler argues against firing Brennaman, saying he should be given the opportunity to grow.