Fox Sports and Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman announced over the weekend that he’s going to have to step out of the broadcast booth for what he called a “preventative surgical procedure.”
Brennaman said it would be his last game for a little while but he thanked Reds fans and the organization for their support during what the broadcaster called some trying days.
Thom will be on the DL after today's @Reds game.
He has a special message for the fans and those in Cincinnatihttps://t.co/gZ4jrmbHzL
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) May 29, 2016
According to C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Brennaman is having an operation to help alleviate hoarseness in his voice that has already caused him to miss time this season. By having the procedure done now, Brennaman can be back in time for the end of the baseball regular season and the beginning of the NFL campaign:
Brennaman was able to joke about the procedure because he will be the patient. He will have what he deemed a “preventative surgical procedure” this week to help correct a chronic hoarseness of his voice he’s felt since the end of spring training.
Brennaman, 52, said he has been told he will need “four or five weeks” of recovery time and is hopeful he will be fine to finish the rest of the Reds’ season and work the entire NFL season for Fox.
“It’s something that has to be done, the sooner it gets done, by the grace of God, the sooner I’m able to get back and start working again,” Brennaman said. “It’s one of those things if you wait, my voice isn’t strong enough to be able to wait any longer, I wouldn’t be able to do any more baseball games this year or football in the fall. When you run your mouth as long as I have, you pay the piper sooner or later, probably.”
Brennaman missed the entire last homestand and has missed other games this year because of the hoarseness.
Brennaman isn’t the first Fox Sports broadcaster to have to deal with something like this as colleague Joe Buck fought hoarseness in his voice back in 2011 thanks to a virus in his vocal cord. We certainly want to add our well wishes to Brennaman for a full and speedy recovery.
