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College Basketball

Greg Gumbel receives heartfelt shoutout from CBS crew during NCAA Tournament absence

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Greg Gumbel is a mainstay piece of CBS’s March Madness and NCAA Tournament coverage. Unfortunately, he’s absent from the studio this year and will miss the tournament.

It was previously announced that Gumbel would be missing this year’s coverage due to a family health issue. As CBS opened Thursday’s coverage of the first full day of action, Gumbel’s absence was noticed and acknowledged in a heartfelt segment from the rest of the CBS crew.

“We’d like to send our best to our colleague Greg Gumbel who will sit out this year due to family health matters. Greg, we miss you, look forward to seeing you again,” said host Ernie Johnson.

“Greg, you know, it’s kind of strange to be sitting here without you being the co-pilot. Yet know that you’re missed much, thought about often and prayed for more,” Clark Kellogg echoed.

“Can’t say it any better than that,” Kenny Smith admitted. “We miss you, Greg, but we’re going to hold the fort down until you get back.”

“Thinking about you and your family, now we’ve just got to find someone to give us jokes in between breaks,” cracked Charles Barkley.

Before wrapping up the segment, Johnson reminisced about preparing for his first year covering the NCAA Tournament. Gumbel was the individual he sought out in preparation, and Johnson claimed he will still be the main voice of CBS’s studio coverage in future tournaments.

“It’s March Madness. How do you do it, what do I prepare for? The guy I sat down with? Greg Gumbel,” Johnson revealed. “He’s been the voice of this operation on the studio side and will continue to be. We look forward to seeing him again.”

RELATED: The first full day of March Madness is off and running Thursday afternoon! Stay up to date on the latest trends and odds with SDS’s family of best sports betting apps!

Greg Gumbel’s career

Gumbel is currently in his second stint at CBS, originally joining the network in the late 1980s. He spent part of the 1990s at NBC Sports before eventually returning to CBS in the late 90s.

Gumbel traditionally serves as the studio host for CBS’s college basketball coverage and the NCAA Tournament. Thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Gumbel and his family during his absence.

Reaction to the absence

While March Madness remains one of the best spectacles of college sports, Gumbel’s absence is certainly felt on Thursday. Many fans and analysts alike have reacted to the void with a touch of sadness.

Take a look:

Paul Harvey

Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.

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