Orioles announcer Kevin Brown is expected to return tonight for Baltimore’s game against the Mariners after being suspended last month over references to the team’s fight against the Rays.
The 33-year-old enraged de facto Orioles owner John Angelos after he brought up the Birds’ lack of success against the Rays at Tropicana Field in recent seasons during the team’s final game of a four-game series in Tampa on July 23.
And after appearing on the team’s radio broadcast for the next game against the Phillies, Brown was never heard from again… until now, as he opens up about his time away from the MLB franchise and claims he has no holds a grudge for Angeles.
‘O’s fans – I’m a storyteller. And never wants to be part of the story,” Brown said in a statement he shared Friday on his official account on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The most compelling story in baseball right now is the story of the Baltimore Orioles, the best, most exciting young team in the American League.
“Unfortunately, recent media reports have mischaracterized my relationship with my adopted hometown Orioles,” he added.
“The fact is that I have a great relationship with the organization, and our ownership and front office have fully supported me since 2019 when I first came on board.”
Orioles announcer Kevin Brown will return to broadcast tonight against the Mariners
Brown, 33, shared a lengthy comeback message on his return to the booth on Friday
John Angelo is the actual owner of the Orioles and didn’t take Brown’s comments too kindly
“I request everyone not to heed the disturbing noise of the past few days. I’ve worked closely with O’s SVP Greg Bader for the past four years, and John Angelos and I have a solid dialogue based on mutual respect. We’re all good here in Birdland!
“I’m proud to be an Oriole and call Baltimore home, and there’s no place in baseball I’d rather be now and for the long haul. Go Os!’
It is widely said that during Friday’s broadcast, Brown will read a statement in his comeback to the booth before the Orioles take on the Mariners in Seattle, according to OutKick.
Brown’s time away from baseball earned the Orioles some backlash regarding their decision to suspend the Syracuse graduate over relatively innocuous comments, with fans asking for the commentator to be reinstated in his role in last Tuesday’s game against the Houston Astros.
Brown read out stats that were in the team’s game notes for MASN’s broadcast of the July 23 game against the Rays, and the cable channel even ran an accompanying image that read “Trop-ical Depression.”
The stats showed that the Orioles struggled to win in Tampa the past two seasons.
The Angelos family believed that the numbers made them look cheap, prompting Brown to be taken off the air, according to The athletic.
The Angelos family took over ownership of the Orioles from Peter, 94, since he fell ill in 2018
Orioles chairman John Angelos (left) and his mother, Georgia, “looted” tens of millions of dollars from Peter to buy a larger stake in the MLB club while foreclosing assets from creditors, according to an explosive lawsuit from the younger brother, Louis (right)
Orioles owner, Peter Angelos, pictured with his wife Georgia at a 1996 party at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Announcers from other teams, including Gary Cohen of the Mets and Michael Kay of Yankees, criticized the Orioles for their actions, an outlier in an unexpected season of overperformance.
In January, Orioles ownership was in turmoil after one of Angelos’ sons, Louis, sued his chairman brother and his mother for “looting” tens of millions of dollars from their 94-year-old father and majority owner of Orioles, Peter, who fell ill five years ago although his exact condition is not publicly known.
The money was used to buy a larger stake in the MLB franchise and shield assets from creditors, according to an explosive lawsuit.
The allegations were made as part of an updated lawsuit against John and Georgia by Louis, which alleges the pair “systematically drained” a bank account containing more than $65 million, leaving about $400,000 several months ago.
The alleged looting of the account took place in the five years since Peter Angelos fell ill due to heart problems, according to the lawsuit filed by Baltimore sun.