KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City sports radio talk show host Kevin Kietzman and Union Broadcasting announced Friday they are mutually parting ways.
“We would like to thank Kevin for his dedicated service over the last 22 years,” Union Broadcasting President Chad Boeger said. “Kevin has been a valuable member of the Sports Radio 810 WHB team. We wish him all the best on his future endeavors and good luck moving forward.”
The move comes just days after Kietzman came under fire for remarks he made about Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s family and how it relates to handling discipline cases among the NFL players he coaches.
Union Broadcasting owns WHB-810 AM. Kietzman has been the afternoon driver radio host of "Between the Lines" for more than two decades.
Kietzman, a founding partner of the station, took to social media and local media in an attempt to apologize.
He also released a statement Friday, reflecting on his time at the station.
“It’s been my honor and privilege to host Between the Lines for the past 22 years and I’m proud of being a founding partner of this great local company that is so committed to our community,“ Kietzman said.
Kietzman was suspended indefinitely Tuesday by Union Broadcasting after his remarks in Monday afternoon's show drew widespread national criticism on social media.
During a segment about how Reid has handled suspended wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Kietzman said Reid "does not have a great record of fixing players."
"Discipline is not his thing," Kietzman continued. "It did not work out particularly well in his family life, and that needs to be added to this as we're talking about the Chiefs. He wasn't real great at that either. He's had a lot of things go bad on him, family and players. He is not good at fixing people; he is not good at discipline."
Here’s KC radio host Kevin Kietzman comparing Andy Reid’s inability to discipline players like Tyreek Hill to his inability to discipline his family—Reid’s son Garrett OD’d on heroin and died in 2012 and his son Britt has served time in prison for gun and drug charges. pic.twitter.com/sE3luQKSAI
— The Off Day WEEI.com (@OffDayPod) June 24, 2019
Reid's oldest son, Garrett, battled addiction and died of a heroin overdose in August 2012.
Another of Reid's sons, Britt, who is in his seventh season on the Chiefs' staff, was involved in a road rage incident during which he brandished a gun in January 2007 near Philadelphia.
Britt pleaded guilty to weapons and drug charges in that case and had his bail revoked after police found prescription drugs on him during a traffic stop for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He also settled a civil lawsuit arising from the road-rage incident.
Britt Reid will serve as linebackers/outside linebackers coach in 2019 after spending the previous three years as defensive line coach.
Kietzman later tried to walk back his comments, saying that he wasn't referencing Garrett's death in his criticism of Andy Reid's reasons for disciplinary failures. He posted a more than two-minute apology on Twitter and also went on KCTV to try and explain his comments Thursday.
With sincerest apologies to coach Andy Reid. pic.twitter.com/sVYpYBChbU
— kevin kietzman (@kkwhb) June 25, 2019
Kietzman vowed not to resign in Thursday's televised interview.
Hill reportedly met with NFL investigators this week after police launched a child-abuse investigation involving his 3-year-old son in March.
While Hill will not be charged with a crime, he has been party to a Department of Children and Families investigation, and the NFL could still suspend him under its Personal Conduct Policy based on that investigation or on the menacing comments he made in a conversation with fiancee Crystal Espinal.
Hill has been suspended from team activities since late April after the recording in which he tells Espinal she should "be terrified of me too."
Espinal also is embroiled in the DCF investigation.
The Chiefs are hopeful the NFL will rule on any possible suspension for Hill before training camp.
