N.C. State’s radio announcer Gary Hahn has been suspended for an undefined amount of time due to something he said on-air. On Friday, he made a comment about illegal immigration in Texas. As a result, he has been banned from the radio.
While calling the Wolfpack’s 16-12 loss against Maryland in the Mayo Bowl on Friday, Hahn updated listeners about the Sun Bowl, which was also taking place at the time, by saying “down among all the illegal aliens in El Paso it’s UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6.”
Kyle Winchester, the Wolfpack Sports Properties general manager, later confirmed the broadcaster’s indefinite suspension in a statement to The News & Observer. Annabelle Myers, the associate athletics director for communications at the school, also confirmed the punishment in a statement to NBC’s local affiliate.
This suspension has caused concern among many people. They are worried about the impact it will have on Gary Hahn’s career and how it may affect the radio station as a whole.
The station has not released any specific details about the incident, but it is clear that they are taking this matter seriously. It is unclear how long the ban will last, but it appears that it will be indefinite.
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Here's what got NCSU announcer Gary Hahn immediately and indefinitely suspended after today's broadcast: pic.twitter.com/4qkyQ1jzT2
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) December 30, 2022
This situation has caused a lot of debate. Some people are concerned about freedom of speech and its impact on radio stations. I think it’s just another example of the left’s cancel-culture nature.
Did he spread misinformation? No… Texas has a major immigration issue and it’s not a secret. To me, this brings up the left’s push to create a disinformation board and how it could easily be abused to silence Americans.
Would this have had the same outcome if he said ‘illegal immigrants’ instead? Likely not because both phrases state the truth and refer to people in the US illegally.
It’s a dangerous game the left is playing with Constitutional rights.