Thom Brennaman makes reference to his viral Nick Castellanos apology

For better or worse, Thom Brennaman is most famous for his viral moment in which a Nick Castellanos home run interrupted his on-air apology for using a gay slur. Brennaman seems to know it, too, and even dropped a reference to it before Saturday’s game between Syracuse and Boston College.

Brennaman, who now calls college football games for The CW, leaned into the meme Saturday when highlighting Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos. He all but winked at the camera when mentioning the quarterback, and it was quite obvious he knew exactly what he was doing.

“You know about Kyle McCord. We’ll also see Thomas Castellanos. How about that?” Brennaman said with a grin.

Thom Brennaman you absolute dog. pic.twitter.com/S6TzqXh9XZ

— Daq Prescott (@ScionTC100mph) November 9, 2024

Color commentator Max Browne laughed at the remark, suggesting he was well aware of the reference as well.

Brennaman’s infamous moment came in 2020, when he attempted to apologize on-air after a hot mic caught him using a homophobic slur. The apology was interrupted by Nick Castellanos, then with the Cincinnati Reds, hitting a home run, turning the phrase “there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos” into a meme that is frequently employed on social media whenever a notable public figure issues some sort of apology.

Nick Castellanos himself has made reference to the meme, but this is the first time Brennaman himself has acknowledged it during a broadcast.