Michael Kay isn’t buying Kevin Brown’s statement.
The Yankees play-by-play voice for YES Network was on-air Friday for his ESPN Radio show after Brown broke his silence about his absence.
Kay said that while the Orioles broadcaster may have dismissed the reports of his suspension, he believes it was all orchestrated by Baltimore management.
“I know for a fact what happened,” Kay said on his show. “But I don’t blame Kevin for releasing that statement, what’s he supposed to do? Say, ‘They’re a bunch of complete dolts here. What they did to me was unfair?’ He’d lose his job.”
Brown, the primary Orioles play-by-play commentator for Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, was reportedly suspended after on-air comments ahead of a July 23 game against the Rays in which he said the team was playing better against Tampa Bay this season than in previous years.
Brown was shifted to the radio broadcast for the Orioles’ series against the Phillies that opened on July 24 but has been absent since.
While reports indicated his rather benign comments perturbed Orioles owner John Angelos, Brown said the stories about him “mischaracterized” the situation.
“Unfortunately, recent media reports have mischaracterized my relationship with my adopted hometown Orioles,” Brown wrote tweeted Friday.
“The fact is that I have a wonderful relationship with the organization, and our ownership and front office has fully supported me since 2019 when I first came aboard.”
When Kay was asked by co-host Peter Rosenberg if he thought the Orioles’ front office had influence over Brown’s statement, Kay was quick to respond.
“Of course,” Kay said. “It’s like a hostage tape.”
“That was a statement that was obviously vetted by the Orioles and their senior vice president,” Kay added.
“I don’t blame Kevin for putting that out there because he didn’t deny what happened. He said, ‘Don’t listen to the noise.’ The noise is true.”
Brown is expected to be back in the booth on Friday for the Orioles’ game against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.
During Brown’s absence, broadcasters around the league — including Kay and SNY’s Gary Cohen — spoke up in support of the announcer, and Orioles fans broke out in “Free Kevin Brown” chants during Tuesday’s game against the Astros.
“There’s not a second that anybody who reported that or talked about it believes it wasn’t true,” Kay said
“He got yanked off the air because he read a stat that they thought was negative and it was quite positive…That was a classic case of putting lipstick on the pig of a situation. What’s he supposed to say?”