A broadcaster for North Carolina State University has been suspended indefinitely after he made a remark about “illegal aliens” while offering the score for the Sun Bowl college football game on Friday.
While calling NC State’s game against Maryland, Gary Hahn provided an update on the score at the Sun Bowl by saying, “down among all the illegal aliens in El Paso, it’s UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6.”
The reference appeared connected to a wave of undocumented migrants who have crossed the Rio Grande into El Paso over the last few weeks. The surge in migrants crossing the border was triggered by the planned sunset of a Trump administration policy called Title 42 that allowed migrants the chance to seek asylum during the coronavirus pandemic. Title 42 was due to expire at the end of the year, but a Supreme Court decision means it will remain in place until at least February 2023.
Here's what got NCSU announcer Gary Hahn immediately and indefinitely suspended after today's broadcast: pic.twitter.com/4qkyQ1jzT2
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) December 30, 2022
Kyle Winchester, the general manager for Learfield Communications, said Hahn was suspended indefinitely for his remarks on Friday. Learfield operates the Wolfpack Sports Network, which employs Hahn.
Hahn has served the play-by-play announcer for NC State’s football and basketball events for more than three decades. He has yet to make a public statement about his remarks.
Not a bright idea to make a comment like that, but he shouldn’t have lost his job.
Derry Brownfield must be turning over in his grave. How absurd, to destroy a man’s reputation and career over one stupid statement.
When did we cease being a society of forgiveness and second chances? The responsible and correct response was to require him to apologize and allow him to keep his job.
This reminds me of when CBS fired IMUS and also the tweet that ended Roseanne’s career.
Sitting here I wonder what would inspire anyone to even think-let alone say that remark. It had nothing to do with sports. There are myriad ways to be topical, humorous and creative. This, obviously, wasn’t one of them. Can we keep politics out of sports? If so, many will be able to keep their jobs.
Sounds like the comment was out of place and not part of the conversation. However, “illegal aliens” is a factual and accurate term, and not a slur. Words should not be taken out of our vocabulary just because some people are uncomfortable with them.
Nothing to do with “uncomfortable” and everything to dow with asylum seekers.
So speaking the truth gets you fired these days. Welcome to China.
You call it speaking the truth. And it’s OK to speak the truth when you’re surrounded by your red hatted friends in a bar in some trailer park. But not in front of a microphone calling a football games.
Most of us call that speaking stupid. Not “speaking the truth.”
This is something that just ended his career. You speak stupid. You live with stupid for the rest of your life.