Tigers legend, longtime broadcaster hints at discord in surprising March exit

Detroit Tigers fans were stunned to learn during spring training that legendary former outfielder and longtime television broadcaster Kirk Gibson would not be returning to the booth this season.

After initially announcing in February that Gibson would be part of their television broadcast team on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit in 2025 – as he had been in each of the previous 15 seasons – the Tigers announced just a few weeks later that he would instead be stepping away. Although Gibson would still remain with the organization in a special advisor role to the front office, the timing and abrupt nature of the announcement raised plenty of questions about his time on the broadcast team.

Gibson addressed the situation publicly for the first time since announcing his departure in an interview this week with Tony Paul of the Detroit News. When asked if he missed being part of the broadcast team, Gibson's response was telling.

"I mean, I enjoyed some of the things, but I didn't fit," Gibson said. "All things considered, I did what was right."

Tigers legend, longtime broadcaster Kirk Gibson hints at discord in surprising March exit

Gibson had two separate stints in the Tigers' broadcast booth, with the first coming shortly after his retirement as a player. He worked with Josh Lewin and then Mario Impemba from 1998-2002 before returning in 2015 to work with Impemba and Matt Shepard.

Shepard was fired and replaced by Jason Benetti before the 2024 season. While Gibson spoke glowingly of his former broadcast partners – Lewin, Impemba and Shepard – in his interview with Paul, his silence on Benetti spoke volumes. Perhaps, then, the decision for Gibson to leave the broadcast booth in 2025 – one year after Benetti's arrival – wasn't as mutual as it was originally portrayed to be?

"Things change over time, you know?" Gibson said (via Paul). "You get older, you've gotta change if you're going to be partners. You've gotta change if you're going to make it work. I'll just leave it at that."

Benetti and the Tigers both declined to comment, per Paul, so plenty of speculation remains around the nature of Gibson's departure from the broadcast team. For the time being, though, we are left with more questions than answers, and it certainly doesn't have Tigers fans feeling better about any of it.

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