QUINIX Sport News: Football analyst Kirk Herbstreit announces death of beloved dog Ben

Kirk Herbstreit, a football analyst with ESPN and Amazon Prime Video, was often accompanied by his dog Ben when traveling to football games across the country. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The sports world had an unexpected loss this week, with football analyst Kirk Herbstreit announcing Thursday that his beloved dog Ben has died. Ben, known for accompanying Herbstreit to college football and NFL games across the country, had been with Herbstreit’s family for 10 years.

In a heartfelt post on social media, Herbstreit wrote that Ben, who had been diagnosed with cancer in March, had died after the cancer had spread to his organs.

Herbstreit had previously provided updates on Ben’s health prior to the dog’s death.

The golden retriever began joining Herbstreit on the road in 2021, making his first appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay” in November of that year. Ben was a common sight at the games that Herbstreit attended as an ESPN college football analyst and as an NFL analyst for Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football.” Ben was also known for interrupting some of those broadcasts, wagging his way to Herbstreit in the announcing booth.

Ben was equally beloved by the teams he visited, with several teams making credentials specifically for the golden retriever. This season, Herbstreit shared that the Miami Dolphins had made Ben a credential designating him as the “Chief Happiness Officer of Football” and that the Atlanta Falcons had designated him as a “wide retriever.”

Herbstreit revealed last fall that Ben had become an official emotional support animal (ESA).

A few hours after his initial post, Herbstreit posted again, sharing his appreciation for people reaching out about Ben.