NC State Broadcaster Gary Hahn Will Be Reinstated Following 'Illegal Aliens' Suspension By Learfield
A baseless suspension imposed against North Carolina State radio broadcaster Gary Hahn for uttering "illegal aliens" on air will soon come to an end.
OutKick has confirmed that Hahn, who was suspended for his comment made during last week's Mayo Bowl, will again be behind the mic a week from Saturday.
Learfield VP of Communications Tammy Purves wrote the following in an email directly to OutKick:
"Gary Hahn will rejoin the Wolfpack Sports Network broadcasts on Saturday, January 14, following his suspension."
Last Friday, Hahn was suspended by Learfield, in conjunction with Wolfpack Sports Network, for an "indefinite" amount of time.
During the radio broadcast of the Mayo Bowl between N.C. State and Maryland, Hahn commented: “...down among all the illegal aliens in El Paso it’s UCLA 14 and Pittsburgh 6.”
A suspension soon followed.
Until this afternoon when Purves commented on Hahn's pending return, Learfield had refused to comment on the suspension. That includes addressing the ridiculousness of the suspension in the first place.
Gary Hahn will return to calling Wolfpack games on Jan. 14.
Learfield Has Not Addressed Reason For Suspension
As OutKick has previously documented, Hahn did nothing to warrant a suspension. That didn't stop Learfield from pulling him off the air, then hiding in a corner.
Learfield apparently hoped the negative feedback surrounding the suspension would blow over.
It didn't.
Why was Hahn suspended in the first place? Who made the decision? Those are among the questions OutKick asked Learfield representatives, including Tammy Purves and Kyle Winchester, the latter of whom released the original statement announcing Hahn's suspension.
Though they couldn't suspend Hahn fast enough, they were suddenly slow to respond.
In fact, they didn't respond at all.
OutKick reached out to Learfield representatives on Saturday, Dec. 31. This was done via both email and phone. The company did not respond to either form of communication. Then, on Tuesday, Jan. 3, we reached out to Winchester directly. He did not respond. A follow-up email was sent to Winchester this morning. That email also went unanswered.
The questions asked of Learfield and/or Winchester follow:
Gary Hahn Will Rejoin The Wolfpack Sports Network
In lieu of responding to our reasonable questions, OutKick was emailed the less-than-20-word statement (above) from Purves that confirms Hahn's pending return.
Upon receiving Purves' statement, OutKick asked if she would follow up and answer the questions. Her response:
"I am sorry, but we do not comment on personnel matters."
The North Carolina State men's basketball team hosts Miami a week from Saturday, marking Hahn's first game back from suspension. Illegal aliens won't be simultaneously returning, because unlike Hahn, they never left in the first place.
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