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ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit Makes Tragic Announcement

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ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit was brought to tears following Ohio State’s victory over Notre Dame on Monday, a reaction to the heartbreaking tragedy recently suffered by his family, he has revealed.

Herbstreit, the Buckeyes’ quarterback from 1989 to 1993, was visibly moved on Monday as he covered his team’s effort to snuff out a feverish Notre Dame comeback. His son, walk-on tight end Zak Herbstreit, almost never had the chance to play.

In addition to medical complications suffered in recent years by his son, Herbstreit also revealed in an interview that his wife Ally had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

“It was almost like a perfect storm for me,” Herbstreit said on “The Pat McAfee Show” during post-game coverage of Ohio State’s 34-23 win. “My son had heart failure two years ago. They were talking about a heart replacement there for a while, and he had to medically retire. And Ryan Day, I think, the gratitude I have for Ryan Day putting his arms around Zak and keeping him involved. You know, he’s almost like a GA with what he was doing. And Ryan insisted on putting his arms around him. Chip Kelly, all these guys. So there was that side of it, looking down and seeing him in his jersey after, you know, potentially facing replacing your heart, to that.”

He added, “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.”

“I only know how I feel at the time,” Herbstreit said. “That’s not something you think about or predict. It’s just like a perfect storm for me. My son had heart failure two years ago.”

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“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.”

While he kept the contents of his off-air talk with McAfee to himself, Herbstreit said he couldn’t be prouder of what his son and his teammates have accomplished this season.

“Oh, don’t start with me, man,” Herbstreit said, Fox News reported. “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.”

As fellow broadcaster Chris Fowler took back the microphone, Herbstreit could be seen reaching for his handkerchief and dabbing his eyes.