Kirk Herbstreit details traumatizing set of tragedies that may have led to erratic commentary throughout 2024

The 2024-2025 season was a banner year for ESPN and Amazon announcer and former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit. At least professionally it was, as he continued to serve as one of the stars on College Gameday and Thursday Night Football. However, while his accolades continue to pile up, Herbstreit's reputation and personal life were a much more delicate topic.

Several things shifted over the course of the season, including Buckeye fans fully turning on Herbstreit after he seemed to call out the program's supportive base several times, his son walking onto Michigan's football team, and generally lazy analysis at times. 

Look, splitting time covering college football and the NFL is an impossible task when he's in such a limelight twice a week. But Herbstreit revealed something else was affecting him even more than being overtasked professionally. 

The 55-year-old told the Pure Athlete podcast about the health difficulties his family has endured throughout the years, starting with the birth of his two twins and into more recent times. 

What we already knew was how his older son, Zak Herbstreit, had a medical retirement while playing with the Buckeyes as a tight end. Herbstreit became fiercely loyal to Ohio State head coach Ryan Day because the program kept his son near the team despite the fact an underlying heart condition prematurely ended his career. 

“He had to medically retire, and I think the gratitude I have for [coach] Ryan Day putting his arms around Zak and keeping him involved."

In retrospect, this was likely the base of why Herbstreit aggressively called the Buckeyes fans the "lunatic fringe" for wanting Day fired after losing The Game for the fourth-straight year. 

The newer tidbit Herbstreit revealed was an even scarier one, though. Back in January after the Buckeyes won the National Championship, Herbstreit said his wife Alison had been diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2024. Shortly after, his trusted dog companion Ben had passed. 

“My wife got diagnosed with breast cancer, you know, (our family dog) Ben dies. It was just a lot of emotion." 

After recapping what we knew was a tough year, Herbstreit showed his appreciation for his family and made it a point to demonstrate how involved he still is despite being tied up with broadcasting.

“I had big opportunities to advance and to continue to grow in my career, and I’m not saying that that wasn’t important… but at the same time I had kids because I wanted to be a dad. My wife, who kind of ran the home, was with me traveling and doing whatever I did, very good at communicating and just being on the same page on what’s going on with the house.”

Admittedly, during the season, there was only so much Herbstreit would be involved in. He continued to shower Alison with flowers, as she more than deserved.

“Knowing that Jake had a science test on a Wednesday, she would communicate that with me. In the offseason, I’m in the mix, you know; I’m right in the front row."

The reaction from fans of various programs was an interesting one. Most fans, especially Ohio State's, are sympathetic to the trials Herbstreit faced in 2024. However, there's also a bit of just being over the experience after he burned bridges with the passionate fan base.

Buckeye fans don't need Herbstreit to be as shameless of a shill as Desmond Howard is for Michigan, but it's also not been evident he even likes the city or school in recent years. If he doesn't, then he should make that known or recuse himself from conversations more often.

It's not as if Ohio State has had the only dismayed fans. Most viewers of Thursday Night Football can tell that he only brings so much value to NFL broadcasts because he's not directly covering the league everyday beyond that role. 

Times were more enjoyable with Herbstreit before he told his side of why his family moved from Columbus to Nashville, his younger son committed to Michigan, and he went on the offensive against his alma mater's fan base. It might be time for the man nicknamed "Herbie" to do less during the season, so his analysis is less clouded.

We hope his 2025 goes smoother and we get a more lighthearted experience. Herbstreit and his family deserve that, and so do football fans.