You rarely see network announcer transactions this close to the start of a season — the 2020 National Football League opener between the Texans and Chiefs, knock on wood, is scheduled for Sept. 10 — but Thom Brennaman changed plans for Fox Sports.
The longtime Fox Sports and Cincinnati Reds broadcaster was suspended by the MLB team last Wednesday for voicing a homophobic slur on the air as he broadcast a game in Kansas City. The next day, Fox Sports announced that Brennaman would not be part of the network’s NFL coverage this season, calling the language he used “abhorrent, unacceptable, and not representative of the values of Fox Sports.” Said Fox Sports, in a statement: “As it relates to Brennaman’s Fox NFL role, we are moving forward with our NFL schedule which will not include him.”
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That meant Fox Sports had to replace a play-by-play announcer for one of its NFL broadcast teams and had to do so quickly. Industry sources said Fox was pitched by broadcasting agents as well as individual talent for the open spot, one of the premium jobs in sports broadcasting given the limited number of NFL play-by-play broadcasters. In the end, Fox decided to stay close to home.
The Athletic has learned that Kevin Kugler will take over Brennaman’s NFL play-by-play role. He will partner with Chris Spielman and reporter Laura Okmin. Kugler has previously filled in for Fox on NFL games and has a terrific reputation within the industry as play-by-play caller.
Kugler arrives with an impressive broadcasting resume. He has called “Sunday Night Football” for Westwood One since 2009 and has a ton of experience on major NFL playoff games for the audio network. His Westwood One work also includes multiple men’s basketball Final Fours and college basketball games of significance. He also has hosted PGA Tour coverage, including the Masters and other majors. Kugler has also been a major play-by-play figure for the Big Ten Network since 2011, a portfolio that includes football, basketball and other sports. With the Big Ten not competing in 2020 fall sports, Kugler also had more availability than in previous years. There is, of course, a chance Kugler could be calling college games at some point in addition to his new portfolio of NFL TV games.
It’s important to note when a decision such as this is made by a sports network involving a major sport, networks often ask other members of the production team for input, including the producer, director and on-air talent. It is believed that Kugler was very high on Spielman’s list of potential candidates in a post-Brennaman world. Ultimately, the final call goes to top management.
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Fox Sports has not said whether there was a road for Brennaman to return in 2021, but a return to Fox’s NFL team would be a long shot. He has a far more likely chance of returning to the Reds after a period of time, given his family’s name in the Cincinnati market. Reds writer C. Trent Rosecrans wrote extensively on Brennaman last week.
(Photo: Rich Sugg / Kansas City Star / Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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