Suspended Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman has been meeting with members of the LGBTQ community after uttering an anti-gay slur during a live broadcast in mid-August.
Brennaman, who was unaware his mic was hot when he uttered the slur, acknowledged he's trying to make amends for his mistake.
"Everything happened so fast," the 56-year-old said Monday, according to Mark Fischer of the New York Post. "And I'm watching literally everything fall apart at the seams while trying to announce a baseball game. I couldn't even tell you what happened, where it came from. … Look, I said it is all that matters. The rest of it is irrelevant. I said it. And I own it. And I'm the one who has to live with it."
He added: "The realization of the incredible hurt that I've caused using that word has been breathtaking. It's been absolutely amazing the amount of grace and forgiveness and support. ... If I get another chance, someone will be hiring a better person than the person who walked out the door that night on Aug. 19."
Brennaman said after the incident he planned to participate in diversity, equity, and inclusion training. He's since spoken with Cincinnati-based LGBTQ activist Ryan Messer, among others. Messer has called for the Reds to reinstate Brennaman from his current suspension, notes Fischer.
"If he used (the word) then, he used it before," Messer said. "If we don't open the dialogue to help explain (the meaning behind the word), how do we learn and grow from it? And that’s where my whole perspective comes, and I'm willing to make sure he understands that, which is why he is coming to my house Saturday to meet my family, my husband, and four kids."