Of all of the twists and turns in this Cleveland Browns season, the most unfortunate came in Week 1 when the team’s legendary radio play-by-play announcer Jim Donovan announced that he would be stepping away from his broadcasting duties as he underwent treatment for leukemia.
But on Thursday — one day after the Browns announced that quarterback Deshaun Watson will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury — the team received some good news when Donovan announced that he will be returning to the radio booth beginning with this weekend’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The announcement came via WKYC in Cleveland, where Donovan serves as the NBC affiliate’s sports director and anchor. Per the station, the 67-year-old Donovan will return to its airwaves on Monday, where he’ll be breaking down the previous day’s game.
“In addition to my teams at WKYC, the Browns, and of course my wife (Cheryl) and daughter (Meghan), I have an amazing group of doctors and caregivers at University Hospital’s Seidman Cancer Center and I truly appreciate everyone’s support,” Donovan said in a statement.
https://twitter.com/Browns/status/1725183114773729546
A native of Boston, Donovan was fist diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2000, which marked the beginning of a decade-long battle with the disease that resulted in a bone marrow transplant in the summer of 2011. He suffered a relapse last year, which he announced this past May as he began to undergo more aggressive treatment for the disease.
Nevertheless, Donovan remained on WKYC airwaves throughout the summer and called the Browns’ season-opening victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, which he ended by announcing to fans that he’d be stepping away to continue to undergo treatment. In his absence, the Browns paired a variety of play-by-play announcers alongside color commentator Nathan Zegura, including Chris Rose, Andrew Siciliano and Paul Keels.
Having been at WKYC since 1985, Donovan has served as the radio “Voice of the Browns” since the team’s return to the NFL in 1999.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.