Kirk Herbstreit called into Amazon Prime's “Thursday Night Football” with a heavy heart.
Hours after announcing the death of his beloved golden retriever, Ben, Herbstreit called a prime-time game between the Ravens and Bengals.
“It was very difficult to call (Thursday) night's game,” Herbstreit posted on X. “I'm so lucky to work with such an extraordinary group of people at @NFLonPrime, from the pregame show to the games to the people behind the scenes. Help me get through it. Thank you for your love and kindness, and thank you to the Bengals and Ravens for providing such an engaging game.”
Herbstreit overcame a difficult situation in Baltimore with broadcast partner Al Michaels to lead the Ravens to a controversial 35-34 victory.
The “TNF'' staff honored Ben with a touching tribute before the game.
Ben passed away earlier this week after a battle with cancer after undergoing chemotherapy.
As Ben's health deteriorated and Herbstreit indicated that the dog was not going to be saved, the family made a heartbreaking decision.
“This is really hard to write, but because so many of you love and care about Ben, I wanted to let you all know. Today we found out that the cancer has spread throughout Ben's organs. , there was nothing left we could do and we had to let him go,” he wrote.
Ben became a fan of football fans for flying with Herbstreit during busy weeks for NFL and college football, including when he was featured on ESPN's pregame broadcast of the USC vs. LSU game in September. well known among the people.
Herbstreit shared a video of Ben finding their room at the same Baltimore hotel that was once again occupied by analysts ahead of Thursday night's game.
Herbstreit, a former Ohio State quarterback, has owned dogs all his life, but said Ben was different.
“Ben was one year old. [of] 1. He was wise, kind, patient, curious and welcoming to everyone,” Herbstreit said. “He always had a big smile on his face and his tail wagged sweetly. He and I were able to communicate… He and I understood each other and supported each other.”
The Golden Retriever entered the broadcast booth and earned air time.
“Ben's here,” Herbstreit said. “It's a big booth, he's just moving around.”
Herbstreit is expected to return to work this weekend. He is scheduled to join Chris Fowler in this weekend's high-profile Alabama-LSU game at 7:30 p.m. ET.
