Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC issued a statement today about the future of former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar as color analyst for the Cleveland Browns preseason broadcasts.
Kosar told the Cleveland Plain Dealer he felt blindsided when he found out he was being replaced. He said he thinks he was fired because of slurred speech caused by repeated concussions as a player.
WKYC president and GM Brooke Spectorsky was quoted as saying:
“First of all, we love Bernie, and we’re grateful for the role he has played in our broadcasts over the last 8 years.” Spectorsky said. “Nowhere in our discussions with Bernie or the Browns has anything ever been said about his speech impairment due to concussions. That has simply nothing to do with our decision. The Browns are rebuilding their team, and in reviewing our programming we’ve decided to rebuild as well. We felt there was a better role for Bernie than doing just four preseason games and we completely understand Bernie’s iconic status with Browns fans. I know Bernie has made statements that he felt that these moves were due to his speech issues, and I reiterate that is not the case.
We have essentially done the same preseason programming for the past 8 years. It’s about the production of the games and our wish, after careful discussion with the Browns, about changing up the production to give a new perspective in our coverage,” Spectorsky said.
“The goal both for the Browns and for Channel 3 is for Bernie to have a bigger role in all of the new Browns programming that’s being done, meaning TV, radio, and on-line. It can be a much more valuable role and will enable him to stay involved for a larger part of the season,” Spectorsky said. “The Browns and I met personally with Bernie and talked to him about all of that. It’s in Bernie’s hands and he knows exactly what we’re talking about. There’s lots of room for discussion for his roles in the upcoming season and we hope he’ll decide to remain an integral part of the new programming efforts across multiple platforms.”