Bob Brenly to Take Leave from Broadcasting After Marcus Stroman Do-Rag Comments

Former Arizona Diamondbacks manager and current broadcaster Bob Brenly will take a week-long leave of absence after his comments regarding New York Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman during Tuesday's game. 

Brenly was already set to attend sensitivity training but will now be off the air following criticism from former Chicago Cubs star Aramis Ramirez, who spoke about how Brenly would often target minority players when he was broadcasting for the North Siders. 

In a new statement confirming his leave to Zach Buchanan of The Athletic, Brenly defended both his work on the air and his treatment of Latin players:

“I have the utmost respect for their life stories, their talents and their careers. Having played the game and managed for many years, I understand how hard it is to play so successfully for such a long time. ... [My job is to] describe Major League Baseball and to call it the way I see it—the good and the bad. I have always tried to do so in an honest, unbiased way, regardless of a player’s background or race. I am sorry that my work offended Aramis, as I think of him as one of the most successful players of his generation. "

Brenly apologized Wednesday after making glib remarks about Stroman's do-rag that Strowman said had "racist undertones." 

Brenly broadcasted games for the Cubs on TV from 2005-2012 and often criticized Ramirez's standing as an MLB player. Speaking to Buchanan this week, Ramirez recalled some of the instances that stood out to him. 

Per Buchanan: 

"Ramirez, now 42, said Brenly said: 'I never got a clutch hit, that I was a numbers stacker.' Brenly made similar comments on a local radio show in October 2011, calling Ramírez a 'numbers gatherer' who 'gets hits stats at the end of the year' but who had 'fallen off the face of the earth' defensively and who 'kills you' on the bases."

The former third baseman said Brenly also "went after Starlin Castro pretty hard, Geovany Soto pretty hard" and could not recall similar comments made about white players in Chicago. Ramirez added it was the only time in his MLB career he experienced anything like that. 

While he didn't call Brenly out during his stint in Chicago, Ramirez did talk about the broadcaster's comments later in his career as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers and called for Brenly to lose his job after his latest comments about Stroman. 

“I see what you guys are going through with the racial stuff,” Ramirez told Buchanan. “It’s just the timing, I don’t think he deserves a second chance. I think he already had it.”

In stepping away from the booth this week, Brenly said he plans to "to listen, reflect and devote my attention to awareness training related to diversity and inclusion to enhance my understanding and appreciation of others."

He expects to return to the booth next homestand.