College Football Announcer Suspended Indefinitely After Commenting on El Paso’s ‘Illegal Aliens’ at Sun Bowl
North Carolina State football play-by-play announcer Gary Hahn was suspended indefinitely Friday after he commented on “illegal aliens” while updating fans of the score at the Sun Bowl in El Paso.
The N.C. State Wolfpack was engaged in a defensive struggle in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina against the Maryland Terrapins. Hahn, who was covering the game on local radio, broke in to update listeners on the Sun Bowl score, which matched up the University of Pittsburgh against UCLA.
“To the Sun Bowl, and amongst all the illegal aliens down in El Paso, it’s UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6,” Hahn said. “That’s with 11:15 to go in the second quarter.”
El Paso is currently experiencing an influx of migrants crossing the border daily.
Charlotte’s The News & Observer reported Hahn was immediately suspended over the comment:
Hahn is an employee of Learfield Communications, the N.C. State broadcast rightsholder, and was disciplined by that company.
N.C. State athletic director Boo Corrigan deferred comment to Learfield. “Learfield has suspended Wolfpack Sports Network play-by-play announcer Gary Hahn from his agreement indefinitely following comments made during today’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl radio broadcast,” Wolfpack Sports Properties general manager Kyle Winchester said in a statement relayed by the school.
N.C. State lost the Duke’s Mayo Bowl to Maryland 16-12 while Pitt defeated UCLA in the Tiger Sun Bowl 37-35.
According to the school, Hahn has been the voice of N.C. State sports for more than three decades:
Gary Hahn has been the radio voice of NC State football and basketball on the Wolfpack Sports Network since the 1990-91 season.
Before coming to NC State, Hahn worked on statewide radio sports networks for the University of Louisville, Ohio State University, and the University of Alabama. He was part of the broadcast team when Louisville won the NCAA Basketball Championship in 1980. He also called the 1985 Rose Bowl for the Ohio State Radio Network. In addition, Hahn described the 1986 NIT Championship that was won by the Buckeyes.
