Kevin Kietzman and Union Broadcasting, Inc., parent company of station WHB, “mutually agreed to part ways,” the company announced Friday. Kietzman had been suspended since Tuesday after saying on the air that some of Reid’s past attempts at being a disciplinarian “did not work out well in his family life.” Reid’s son Garrett died of a heroin overdose in 2012; another son, Britt, has served time in prison on gun and drug charges.
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Union Broadcasting said when it suspended Kietzman that his comments “were clearly not to his or our standards.” The company apologized to Reid, his family, the Chiefs and listeners.
Kietzman apologized to Reid on the air, but he also insisted that he was only speaking about the Chiefs and Reid failing to “fix” players and employees, most recently wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Britt Reid is a Chiefs assistant coach and Garrett Reid also served on his father’s staff; those hires, according to Kietzman, made referencing Reid’s family history relevant.
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He told Awful Announcing:
Kietzman has also noted he has done charitable work in preventing teen suicides.
Kietzman hosted “Between the Lines” on WHB, in which he is an investor, for 22 years.
