ESPN broadcaster reveals why he was brought to tears on broadcast after Ohio State won national championship
2025-01-22
Category: sports

ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit was visibly emotional after watching his alma mater, the Ohio State Buckeyes, win the College Football Playoff National Championship game, and the reason is now known.&nbsp; Herbstreit made an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," where he not only discussed medical complications his son, Buckeyes walk-on tight end Zak Herbstreit, went through, but he also revealed that his wife, Ally, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.&nbsp; "It was almost like a perfect storm for me," Herbstreit told McAfee and his crew about his emotions during the post-game show as Ohio State celebrated the victory. "My son had heart failure two years ago, and they were talking about a heart replacement for a while. He had to medically retire, and I think the gratitude I have for Ryan Day putting his arms around Zak and keeping him involved.&nbsp; CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM  "…Ally, my wife, faced some stuff. It’s been a tough year for me behind the scenes. My wife got diagnosed with breast cancer, you know (family dog) Ben dies. It was just a lot of emotion, and when you do what we do, you endure. You do your job.&nbsp; "I think what happened, when they won, I was so happy for Ryan Day and those players, from what they faced and everything they went through. It was almost like a relief, and it just got the best of me." KIRK HERBSTREIT, OHIO STATE FOOTBALL ALUM, BREAKS DOWN DURING BROADCAST AFTER BUCKEYES WIN NATIONAL TITLE The Herbstreits met during their time at Ohio State together, where Kirk was a four-year letterman as a quarterback and Ally was a cheerleader. They had four sons together after getting married, including Zak, who remained with the Buckeyes despite having to medically retire following his heart failure.&nbsp; After calling the Buckeyes’ 34-23 victory alongside Chris Fowler, Herbstreit was on the postgame show when Scott Van Pelt decided to start with the Ohio State alum after seeing him teary-eyed.  Herbstreit did not mention what he said to McAfee, but he did discuss the resiliency of this Buckeyes group this season.&nbsp;  "Oh, don’t start with me, man," Herbstreit, who grew up about an hour away from Ohio State in Centerville, told Van Pelt during the postgame show. "I’m a little emotional. I’m just fired up for these guys. "When I call these games, I’m incredibly objective. You know, I love all these Ohio State teams, but this team, because of what they went through to get to this point, you’re just happy." When the cameras cut back to the broadcast booth, Herbstreit was spotted grabbing a handkerchief off camera to wipe tears away as Fowler continued to speak.&nbsp;  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP As Herbstreit mentioned, it has been a trying year personally for him, but he has endured through the college and NFL seasons, as he also works alongside Al Michaels during Prime Video’s "Thursday Night Football." Follow Fox News Digital’s&nbsp;sports coverage on X, and subscribe to&nbsp;the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.