Will Fox Give Replacing Thom Brennaman the Ol' College Try?

With full acknowledgment of the heinous nature of Thom Brennaman's slur and his apology that was sincere enough to include a cutaway to a hard drive by Nick Castellanos, there have to be some decision-makers at Fox Sports who were relieved to discover just how easy it'd be to replace him on NFL coverage. And how, ultimately, the product might see addition through subtraction.

Brennaman, though a competent veteran, was poised to slide even down the depth chart if not in practice, then in perception, with the free-agent acquisition of the uber-talented Adam Amin who figures to be near the center of the network's plans for years to come. A Swiss Army Knife capable of handling any assignment, he could find his time focused on professional football as it is the cash cow that provides all boats with milk.

This year is unlike any other year because in addition to the stable of NFL play-by-play voices currently under contract, Fox can dip into its collegiate announcing stable and tap those who find themselves with more free time than normal. With the Big Ten and Pac-12 not playing, there is reduced inventory to oversee. Two names to keep an eye on are Kevin Kugler, who is the Big Ten Network's top narrative voice, and Joe Davis, occupant of the No. 2 booth and routine frequenter of the Rose Bowl conferences' clashes.

Neither would figure to be long-term solutions but then again, what is a long-term solution with the world on fire and things changing dramatically by the hour.

So while it's never ideal to have to issue a statement and cut ties with a fixture of your team after he spews hateful rhetoric, the cold business side of the equation is pretty clear. Being able to dismiss Brennaman with cause solves one big problem and opens up the door to some fairly attractive solutions, especially as the roster of NFL broadcasting voices are getting a significant refresh.