Baltimore Orioles TV announcer Kevin Brown returned Friday to the broadcast booth after nearly three weeks off the air, and immediately sought to tamp down a controversy that had embroiled the MLB club and its ownership in the midst of a resurgent season.
Brown, a rising star on both the Orioles-controlled MASN and ESPN, sought to deflect attention from his prior absence.
“I have a wonderful relationship with the organization, and our ownership and front office has fully supported me since 2019 when I first came aboard. I ask that everyone disregard the distracting noise of the past few days,” he said in a statement.
Brown had been off the air following a July 23 game in Tampa in which he detailed Baltimore’s lack of on-field success against the Rays, with his factual comments paired with a pre-produced, on-air graphic.
His absence — widely understood to be a suspension, but disputed as such by the Orioles — quickly generated widespread rebukes of the team and its chairman and CEO John Angelos from other prominent sports broadcasters.
“They should suspend the doofus that suspended Kevin Brown,” Amazon’s Al Michaels told ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap.
Even after Brown’s return, the criticism of the team continued as YES’ Michael Kay said Brown’s full statement read “like a hostage tape.”
The Orioles, holding the American League’s best record, are enjoying their best season in nearly a decade but have also angered local politicians amid stalled negotiations for a Camden Yards lease extension.
