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Some four years after we last heard him on a national network, Thom Brennaman is officially back.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported on Sunday that the former Cincinnati Reds broadcaster has landed a big new gig. He has been hired by The CW as their lead voice for nationally televised college football games.
“There are no words to describe how grateful I am that they’re rolling the dice,” Brennaman said of The CW. “They don’t have to do this.”
Marchand notes that Brennaman will debut for The CW on Aug. 31 during a game between Oregon State and Idaho State. While he will kick things off as part of the network’s Pac-12 package, Brennaman will mainly be assigned to ACC games, Marchand adds.
The 60-year-old has nearly four decades of sportscasting experience. He called football, baseball and basketball for Fox Sports from 1994-2020 and also served as the TV play-by-play announcer for multiple MLB teams over the years. That included the Cincinnati Reds, whom Brennaman’s father Marty used to be a sportscaster for as well.
But Brennaman was exiled in 2020 after being caught on a hot mic using a homophobic slur. Though Brennaman issued a public apology on Fox Sports Ohio (which Nick Castellanos infamously homered in the middle of), he was suspended indefinitely by the network and eventually resigned from his position. Brennaman was promptly replaced from his national TV work on Fox Sports as well.
Since then, Brennaman has done smaller-time broadcasting work as a play-by-play announcer for the Roberto Clemente League in Puerto Rico as well as for local high school sports streaming service Chatterbox Sports. Now Brennaman is landing back on his feet in a big way, returning to the national airwaves beginning with the 2024 college football season.
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Wisconsin Badgers offensive line returning to high standard of toughness, hard work and grit
Sometimes you have to go backward in order to move forward. For the Wisconsin Badgers offensive line, that means using the past to set clear goals and expectations for 2025 and beyond. They've done exactly that leading up to fall camp in Platteville, sitting down as a unit to examine film of the early 2010's Wisconsin offensive line — a strategy which guard Joe Brunner and center Jake Renfro have found particularly impactful. "We take pride in the people that have played here before," Renfro said after Monday's practice in Platteville. "It's important to know where this place was and where we need to get back to." Wisconsin took a detour from its tradition of hard-nosed, run-heavy offense when Luke Fickell hired Phil Longo as offensive coordinator. In the two years that followed, the Badgers went 12-13 while enduring questions of toughness and culture. It looked like the Wisconsin of old was fading fast, but entering 2025, the Badgers offensive line is doing all they can to get back to their roots. "We've came to this camp and worked our butts off," Brunner said of the offensive line group. "Every single day, no slowing down. Usually, Day 7 of camp, guys start to get their bodies hurt but, man, for three years I haven't seen it [like this], Guys come in and they work their butts off every day, and it's awesome." The linemen know change won't come about without hard work, and that was emphasized by the film sessions. Brunner noted the diligence of the offensive line units that had great success over a decade ago. Despite their individual talents, it was their work ethic that elevated them into greatness. "You look at the [2010], '11, '12, those teams, that is the standard of offensive line play... phenomenal players." Brunner continued. "But you watch the film and it's not necessarily pancakes all the time but it's the strain to finish." Strain and finish were frequent points of emphasis during Monday's offensive line availability. That looked like the willingness and ability to hold a block all the way through the whistle, no matter where a player is in relation to the football. It might seem like a minor portion of the complex tasks offensive lineman are asked to complete, but offensive line coach AJ Blazek believes it can make a massive difference. "Once you're into that play for a second or two, you know who you have, he knowns who he's tied up with, and it's that battle for six to eight seconds," Blazek said. "It's how long you can stay attached. I don't care if I'm far away from the play, I never just stop and jog and watch." "That's the difference in the four and six and eight-yard runs, and the 22 and 24 and 48-yard runs." The grit required to strain and finish every play echoes the core beliefs of new offensive coordinator Jef Grimes' scheme. Noted as a reliable, violent offense, Grimes' system uses the run game as a foundation to set up play action and other explosive plays. "The finish, the competitive drive, the physicality," Blazek said of the differences in Grimes' schemes compared to Longo's. "As an O-lineman, I get it, pass pro is great and you gotta work all that stuff, but you like running the football." The changes have certainly translated onto the field this offseason, much to the excitement of Wisconsin's returning offensive linemen. "It's been physical, really physical, and it's awesome," Renfro said. "I think that's going to be the biggest change that people haven't seen the past couple years." While they make be overlooked on a national scale, especially considering the Badgers' difficult schedule, expectations from within the program are high. Players are aware of their shortcomings and know where they need to get to, particularly in the offensive line room. "We have a chip on our shoulder," Renfro said. "We know what we were, and we know what we are now, and we got something to prove." More Wisconsin Badgers News: Explosive Offense: Observations from Wisconsin Badgers fall camp practice Monday Wisconsin Badgers players think true freshman linebacker will be 'one of the greats' Wisconsin Badgers seeking more mental toughness after feeling like players quit late last season Wisconsin defense benefitting from challenge of defending Jeff Grimes' new Badgers offense
Kevin Love reportedly has preferred buyout destination
Kevin Love is eyeing a return to his roots. The five-time NBA All-Star big man Love has a preferred destination on the buyout market, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on Tuesday. Love would like to end up in Los Angeles. Now 36 years old, Love spent the last two-and-a-half seasons with the Miami Heat. He averaged just 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds over 10.9 minutes per game in 2024-25 but still managed to shoot 35.8 percent from three on the year. Earlier this summer however, the Heat traded Love to the Utah Jazz as part of a three-team blockbuster deal. Now Love, a 17-year NBA veteran, is pursuing a contract buyout from the rebuilding Jazz. Though he is a native of Lake Oswego, Oregon, Love played his college ball in Los Angeles at UCLA. He also has ties to both L.A. teams — he won an NBA championship with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and was also coached on that team by Tyronn Lue, who is now head coach of the L.A. Clippers. Both the Lakers and Clippers are currently sitting at 14 guaranteed contracts each. While they still have spots for two-way and Exhibit 10 players, that means the Lakers and Clippers are both down to their final open roster spot. The ex-rebounding leader Love still has some value, though probably more so as a jokester than as a contributing rotation piece. While Love clearly wants a homecoming to Los Angeles, he may have some convincing to do for either the Lakers or the Clippers to give him that final open roster spot.
Celtics' moves suggest new guard will be traded — eventually
The Boston Celtics got under the second luxury-tax apron by trading Georges Niang to the Utah Jazz Tuesday. The move also gives them a huge incentive to deal their most expensive new player. The Celtics have dramatically reduced their payroll in the wake of Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury. With their superstar unlikely to play in 2025-26, the Celtics traded away starters Jrue Holiday ($94.4M for three years, plus a $37.2M player option in 2027-28) and Kristaps Porzingis ($30.7M next season). They also let Luke Kornet ($2.8M) leave as a free agent, and Al Horford ($9.5M) is almost certainly gone as well. They received Georges Niang ($8.2M) in the Porzingis deal, but traded him Tuesday for undrafted R.J. Luis Jr., a rookie on a two-way deal. That effectively takes Niang's full salary of their books and gets them under the second luxury-tax apron, freeing them from the penalties and restrictions that go along with second-apron status. According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, the Celtics have saved a whopping $286M in salary and taxes with their moves. Still, the team can reap a larger long-term reward by dropping below the luxury tax entirely, which requires reducing their payroll by just over $12M more. The Celtics don't seem inclined to trade Jaylen Brown, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard, wanting to keep some core members of their 2024 title team together for Tatum's return. Sam Hauser is on an affordable four-year, $45M deal, but losing his $10M salary wouldn't get them under the tax line. That's why Anfernee Simons, acquired in the Holiday trade, is likely not long for Boston. The 26-year-old guard makes $27.7M in the last year of his contract, making him the perfect trade piece to get Boston under the luxury tax. Not only would getting under the tax line free the Celtics of their tax obligations and save them as much as $40M, but it would make them eligible to share in the money from tax-paying teams. The Celtics would also be able to avoid the dreaded repeater tax penalties, which make every dollar over the luxury-tax number progressively more expensive every year a team stays over the tax line. This doesn't mean Simons is going to be traded this summer. Boston has until the Feb. 5 trade deadline to move Simons, since luxury tax is calculated on the team's total payroll the last day of the season. But given the massive savings they'd get back from losing Simons' salary, it seems inevitable. The Celtics have lost a lot of talent this summer, but they've saved a tremendous amount of money in the process. They might have to attach draft capital to get off Simons' deal, but if he plays well in Boston, he might even bring back something in a trade next season. Tatum's injury threw a huge wrench in the Celtics' plans. If they can use this season to get under the luxury tax, they'll have the flexibility to reload and contend again when their star is back in a year.
D’Angelo Russell Shades Lakers While Praising Nets: 'They Taught Me How To Be a Professional'
D’Angelo Russell isn’t holding back when it comes to his early NBA journey, and he’s putting the Lakers on notice. In a recent appearance on the Wy Network, the veteran guard reflected on his time with the Brooklyn Nets and credited the franchise for instilling the habits that saved his career, contrasting it sharply with his first stint in Los Angeles. “The organization of Brooklyn is different,” said Russell. “It’s unlike any other. The performance, team, coach — everything about Brooklyn is different than what you would expect. And I’ve been around the league, where I came from the Lakers, where the structure is not the same.” Russell went on to explain how his time with the Nets transformed his mindset and work ethic, saying the team taught him how to train, recover, and prepare like a professional, habits he didn’t develop during his early years with the Lakers. “Then I got to Brooklyn, where it’s all structure, and it taught me how to be a professional," Russell continued. "I always approach the game to where I was nonchalant and I felt like I could just wing it… they taught me how to be a professional, how to sleep, how to eat, how to recover.” Unlike many of today’s athletic point guards, Russell has never relied on elite speed or explosiveness to impact the game. Russell thrives on the perimeter, whether it's working as a playmaker, spotting up for threes, or simply helping his team find an open look. It wasn't until he joined the Nets that he learned to maximize his game and put in the work required to keep his game in the best condition. “That’s why I’m still playing to this day," said Russell. "I’m not a guy that’s athletic, I had to take care of my body, I had to recover, I had to eat the best way. I couldn’t just show up. And that’s what Brooklyn really taught me.” Drafted second overall in 2015, Russell began his NBA journey as a member of the Lakers. He was given major expectations from the very start, but he struggled to live up to expectations in Los Angeles, underperforming in his first two years before he was traded to the Nets in 2017. During his second season in Brooklyn, Russell made his first All-Star team in a breakout campaign, where he averaged 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game on 43.4% shooting. To this day, it's his only All-Star appearance, but his game has never been the same since. According to Russell, he learned how to make the most of his career in Brooklyn, and he experienced more structure and order there than he ever did in Los Angeles. That's true for his first stint there (which involved a falling out with Nick Young) as well as his more recent return to L.A., where he played two seasons alongside LeBron James before ultimately being pushed out. He never felt appreciated or comfortable on the Lakers, a reminder that Russell never found his rhythm in Los Angeles. Fortunately, he's in a better place now with the Mavericks. After averaging 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game on 36.7% shooting in 2024-25, he's hoping to deliver his best season yet alongside Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, and young star Cooper Flagg. While D’Angelo Russell’s time with the Lakers was filled with growing pains, his journey has come full circle as he prepares for the next chapter in Dallas. Now equipped with the discipline and perspective he lacked as a young player, Russell has the chance to redefine his career on a team built to compete in the West. His comments on the Lakers may sting for fans in L.A., but for Russell, they reflect a hard-earned evolution and a reminder of where he truly found his footing in the NBA.
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