Home US Kirk Herbstreit reveals heartbreaking personal news as he explains why he cried after Ohio State’s win

Kirk Herbstreit reveals heartbreaking personal news as he explains why he cried after Ohio State’s win

0 comments
Kirk Herbstreit said Tuesday that his wife, Allison Herbstreit, was diagnosed with breast cancer

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit revealed Tuesday that his wife, Allison, was diagnosed with breast cancer in recent months.

Herbstreit explained that his wife’s health and a few other devastating recent life events were the reason he cried live on air after Ohio State won the national championship on Monday night.

Herbstreit did not reveal when Allison was diagnosed with breast cancer or what her current condition was. But the broadcaster has not missed an assignment with ESPN or Amazon Prime this season.

“I haven’t really talked about this publicly. Alli, my wife, had to deal with a number of things. It’s been a tough year for me behind the scenes,” Herbstreit said on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday.

“My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, Ben (Herbstreit’s dog) dies. It’s a lot of emotion. And when you do what we do, you persevere, you do your job.”

In November, Herbstreit’s golden retriever Ben, after accompanying him on many road trips, died of leukemia. When a tribute was played for his dog on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” Herbstreit was also overcome with emotion and cried on air.

Kirk Herbstreit said Tuesday that his wife, Allison Herbstreit, was diagnosed with breast cancer

Allison pictured with their four sons: twins Jake and Tye, as well as Zak and Chase

Allison pictured with their four sons: twins Jake and Tye, as well as Zak and Chase

Herbstreit's beloved dog Ben died in November after a battle with leukemia

Herbstreit’s beloved dog Ben died in November after a battle with leukemia

After Ben’s death, another golden retriever, Peter, has been on football road trips.

Herbstreit’s revelation came after McAfee was curious about why he was crying after the national championship game.

Herbstreit and fellow commentator Chris Fowler were assigned to check in on SportsCenter late Monday night to conclude the college football season.

Herbstreit couldn’t pass the spot without getting choked and having to grab a tissue off camera. The broadcaster went through the list of reasons why he became emotional.

Before announcing his wife’s diagnosis, Herbstreit was talking about another family member.

“It was almost a perfect storm for me,” Herbstreit said. ‘My son had heart failure years ago. They had been talking about a heart replacement there for a while and he had to medically retire.”

“The gratitude I have for (Ohio State head coach) Ryan Day putting his arms around Zak (Herbstreit) and keeping him involved. He’s almost a (graduation assistant) with what he did.”

“And Ryan insisted on putting his arms around him, (offensive coordinator) Chip Kelly, all these guys. So there was that side of it, looking down and seeing him in his jersey after he possibly replaced your heart for that.”

Zak Herbstreit joined Ohio State’s roster in 2021 as a walk-on tight end. Kirk was a quarterback for the Buckeyes from 1989 to 1993.

You may also like