Brian Kinchen, a former pro football player, was suspended as an analyst on ESPNU for comments he made on the air Oct. 28 during the Northern Illinois-Iowa football game.
In the first quarter, a pass from NIU quarterback Phil Horvath went slightly behind a receiver who failed to catch the ball. Kinchen, a tight end in the NFL from 1988-2000, commented that the receiver should have tried to catch the ball with his hands, not his body.
'Your hands are, tender and they can move and caress the ball,' Kinchen said. 'That's kinda, that's kinda gay, but hey.'
The network reaches about 8 million homes.
Kinchen, whose playing career included stints with Miami, Cleveland, Baltimore and Carolina, released an apology for the statement through Connecticut-based ESPN.
'I sincerely apologize for my extremely poor choice of words,' he said. 'They were completely inappropriate and not at all a reflection of who I am or of the way I perform when I work. I have learned from my mistake and look forward to continuing my broadcasting career.'
Kinchen's future with ESPN is under review, according to the cable TV station.
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In another incident, ESPN's local affilliate, ESPN Radio 1000 ( AM 1000 ) , during the 'Chicago\'s NFL GameDay' show Oct. 29 featured host Chet Coppock and Steve 'Mongo' McMichael ( a former Bear's player ) . The show also has former Bears coach Mike Ditka as a recurring guest. After a break Coppock said ( paraphrasing ) , 'Mongo, why don't you share your prediction for the Bears game that you shared with me while we were off the air?' McMichael then said, 'The Bears will beat up the 49ers like a drag queen at a [ boat or truck ] show.' Both hosts laughed. A few minutes later, Ditka joined them as a guest to discuss the Bears' game. The hosts asked Ditka how he was doing, and he said something to the effect of, 'I'm fine, but I just got back from a [ boat/truck ] show.' The hosts then laughed, and McMichael asked Ditka, 'Did you beat up any drag queens?' Ditka responded, 'Of course.' Then there was more laughter.
Windy City Times called the station for a comment and to confirm the exact statements, but the station did not respond.
— Additional reporting: Mel Ferrand
