Orioles Broadcaster Kevin Brown Posts First Statement Addressing Absence, Says Media 'Mischaracterized' What Happened
The Baltimore Orioles' suspension of announcer Kevin Brown has been the talk of baseball over the past week.
Brown was reportedly suspended over comments and a graphic portraying the team's struggles against the Tampa Bay Rays in previous years. The seemingly unjustifiable punishment has led to rampant criticism of the organization and team ownership.
Fans in Baltimore were heard chanting "free Kevin Brown," and many broadcasters across the sport publicly expressed their support. Even some from outside the sport, such as Al Michaels, weighed in saying they should suspend the "doofus" that suspended Brown.
The suspension is expected to end for Friday night's game in Seattle against the Mariners. Earlier Friday, OutKick reported that Brown is expected to read a statement in his return to the booth.
Brown also spoke out publicly for the first time, with a short thread on X (formerly Twitter). And seemingly defended the team.
Brown said that "media reports have mischaracterized" his relationship with the team, organization, ownership and front office. He said he hopes everyone will "disregard the distracting noise of the past few days." And that he has a solid dialogue with (team owner) John Angelos "based on mutual respect."
"We are all good here in Birdland," Brown said.
Kevin Brown's Confusing Orioles Situation
Brown's posts seem to downplay concerns over the team's punishment and any disconnect between him and the front office.
Yet at the same time, he didn't outright deny that he was suspended for accurately reporting facts about the Orioles' prior struggles against the Rays.
It's clear he'd like to keep his job, and publicly criticizing your boss generally isn't the best strategy for a long career. Having a "solid dialogue" implies a cordial relationship, but the apparent pettiness from John Angelos has to be frustrating.
Several replies told Brown to blink twice if he needed rescuing, and while he did ask fans to disregard the "distracting noise," that seems to be the tone of his posts.
It was always unlikely his public comments would criticize Angelos or the front office. And sure enough, Brown's first remarks on the suspension seem to focus more on keeping the peace than defending himself.