North Carolina sports announcer indefinitely suspended after making remark about 'illegal aliens in El Paso' during out-of-town college football game
- A college sports broadcaster was indefinitely suspended after making a comment about "illegal aliens in El Paso."
- North Carolina State radio broadcaster Gary Hahn made the remark while announcing the NC State-Maryland game.
A North Carolina State University sports announcer was suspended indefinitely after making a remark about "illegal aliens in El Paso" at an out-of-town match.
Radio broadcaster Gary Hahn, the voice of North Carolina State's football and men's basketball since 1991, made the remark on Friday while announcing an NCAA football game between the NC State Wolfpacks and the Maryland Terrapins, according to The News & Observer.
Learfield Communications, the company that employs Hahn and is the rightsholder to NC State broadcasts, disciplined Hahn on Friday, per the News & Observer.
"Learfield has suspended Wolfpack Sports Network play-by-play announcer Gary Hahn from his agreement indefinitely following comments made during today's Duke's Mayo Bowl radio broadcast," Wolfpack Sports Properties general manager Kyle Winchester said in a statement to the News & Observer.
Hahn did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on Saturday.
The UCLA-Pittsburgh game Hahn referenced took place at the Sun Bowl stadium in El Paso, Texas, on Friday, amid the city's surge in border crossings during last week's freezing temperatures, resulting in a citywide state of emergency, according to The Texas Tribune.
Bernie Olivas, the executive director of the Sun Bowl Association, announced earlier in the week that Thursday's Sun Bowl Fan Fiesta would be canceled as the convention center was being used as a migrant shelter, according to KTSM-TV.
"They are using the convention center to house some of these poor migrants that are looking for shelter somewhere, so we have canceled the Fan Fiesta," Olivas said, per KTSM.