Kirk Herbstreit is a veteran media personality who lives in the public eye and can take any criticism. But you will have crossed a line if you talk smack about his dog.
Herbstreit’s dog, Ben, who has been traveling with the college football and NFL analyst, made a surprise appearance on-screen as Herbstreit and broadcast partner Reece Davis prepared for the LSU-USC game Saturday night. Ben’s unannounced intrusion resulted in a wide-angle shot that gave viewers a look at the entire broadcast setup from behind.
Cool moment, right? Wrong!
At least it wasn’t for a few people on X who took exception to Ben’s presence on set.
Of course, one has to wonder about the seriousness or sincerity of accounts whose names end in “burner account.” However, regardless of intent, Herbstreit got his point across.
The ESPN college football expert got plenty of support from followers on X.
Herbstreit has taken Ben on the road with him as the pooch deals with leukemia.
“Ben is always ready,” Herbstreit said last month on the Brett Boone Podcast. “We’ve had a tough offseason. I haven’t really told anybody this, he got diagnosed with leukemia and most recently had to have an operation where they had to take a couple of masses. They had to open him up and took out his spleen where there was a mass and then another mass on his intestine, which is a pretty big procedure when you’re 10 years old.
“I didn’t know if we were going to lose him or what. He did not respond favorably the first three or four days; wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t go to the bathroom. This was just probably two-and-a-half weeks ago, and he’s slowly kind of coming out of that state and is back to taking walks and eating and wagging and starting to get back to his personality.
“So, I am praying every day for him and hoping that he’s going to be OK – first of all just to be OK and then, secondly, hope to be able to take him on the road with me again this year.”