From the Des Moines Register’s Andrew Logue (Oldham).
An announcer for ESPNU has been taken off the air due to a comment he made during Saturday™s telecast of the Iowa-Northern Illinois football game.
Brian Kinchen, a color commentator, will not work a game this weekend, according to Josh Krulewitz, ESPN™s vice-president of public relations.
Krulewitz told The Des Moines Register Monday night that the network made its decision after an internal review.
On Saturday, Kinchen was explaining to a television audience that receivers need to make catches with their hands because they are œtender and can œcaress the ball. He then paused and said, œthat™s kind of gay, but hey¦
œThe comments were inappropriate and we apologize, Krulewitz said
Monday. œHe will not appear on our air this weekend and his future appearance schedule is under review.
Kinchen, a former tight end who played in the NFL from 1988-00, issued a statement through ESPN: œI sincerely apologize for my extremely poor choice of words.”
Steve Lyons, Chris Moyles, unavailable for comment.