Yanks, Mets Voices Back Upstate NY College Graduate After Suspension

The Major League Baseball broadcasting world is currently caught up in controversy.

Baltimore Orioles' play-by-play broadcaster and Syracuse University graduate, Kevin Brown, has been mysteriously absent on recent game broadcasts on the team's TV network, MASN. Brown was most recently seen on-screen at the end of July, then after a brief stint on radio, has not been present since.

Monday afternoon, the baseball world learned the absurd reason for his absence, and broadcasters from around the league used their respective platforms to voice their support for Kevin Brown on Monday evening.

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Broadcasters Across Major League Baseball Voice Support for Kevin Brown

An exclusive story from Awful Announcing broke the news that the Baltimore Orioles had suspended television play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Brown indefinitely, after the broadcaster made comments about the team that were deemed to be disparaging.

So, what bombshell did Brown drop to upset his bosses in Baltimore? Take a look at the video clip below:

No, really, I'm being serious. That was all that he said.

Brown's comments were not only statistically accurate, but they had been printed in the team's official game notes earlier that day. Regardless of that fact, it was deemed that Brown's comments were made in a disparaging manner against the team, and he was removed from the television broadcast. He would go on to work one more series for the team, calling their games against Philadelphia toward the end of July, before being put on indefinite suspension.

In a show of solidarity for their wronged colleague, broadcasters from around Major League Baseball used their own platforms to voice their support. Here are comments made by Gary Cohen, play-by-play broadcaster for the New York Mets, on Monday evening:

Meanwhile, here is what Michael Kay, voice of the New York Yankees on television, had to say about the incident on his radio show earlier in the day:

WFAN dynamic duo John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman had this to say:

Here is Part 2 of that conversation:

Additionally, here is what NESN broadcasters Dave O'Brien and Kevin Youkilis had to say during the Red Sox telecast last night:

A huge credit goes out to these broadcasters for voicing their support in this manner. In this scenario, Baltimore's team owners tried to control the message that was being broadcast to their team's fans, and that is a VERY dangerous game to play as an owner of a professional sports team.

Broadcasters should be trusted by ownership and front office executives to represent their respective teams in a truthful way. The best play-by-play broadcasters in sports call the game as they see it; if things are going well, they'll get excited, and if they're going poorly, they'll tell you why.

If that trust is removed, then the entire broadcast industry will suffer immensely, and the fan experience will suffer as a result of it all.