ESPN star Kirk Herbstreit announces death of beloved dog Ben following cancer battle

ESPN's college football expert Kirk Herbstreit shared the devastating quality connected societal media Thursday that helium had to marque the hard determination to enactment down his beloved dog, Ben, pursuing his conflict with cancer. 

Herbstreit, who implicit the past respective weeks of the assemblage shot docket has been accompanied by Ben, has shared wellness updates with Ben’s galore fans. 

FILE - Kirk Herbstreit's canine looks connected from the acceptable of ESPN's College GameDay successful the McMicken Commons astatine the University of Cincinnati connected Friday, Nov. 5, 2021, successful Cincinnati. ESPN's College GameDay amusement volition beryllium held successful the McMicken Commons connected Saturday for the NCAA shot crippled betwixt Cincinnati and Tulsa. (IMAGN)

But connected Thursday, Herbstreit announced that Ben’s cancer had spread. 

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"This is truly hard to constitute but truthful galore of you person loved and cared astir Ben that I wanted to fto you know. We recovered retired contiguous the crab had dispersed passim Ben's organs and determination was thing near we could bash – we had to fto him go."

Herbstreit, a self-proclaimed dog-lover, spoke astatine magnitude astir his peculiar enslaved with Ben. 

"He was smart-loving-gentle-patient-inquisitive-and welcoming to all. Always a large grin and a brushed process wag. He and I could communicate..he and I understood each different and had each other's backs. He was with maine much than anyone astatine location and traveling with maine for work. Such an casual going companion. Hard day-but helium volition unrecorded wrong each of america forever. God delight bless his majestic psyche and convey you for putting him successful my beingness for the past 10 years-a existent blessing. Love you Ben" 

ESPN expert Kirk Herbstreit walks his canine Ben earlier the 2024 College Football Playoff nationalist title crippled betwixt the Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies astatine NRG Stadium.  (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)

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Tributes from astir the football community poured in.

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Herbstreit said successful a abstracted station that the overwhelming enactment has "really deed home" connected specified a hard day. 

"My telephone hasn’t stopped ringing for the past 3 hours from texts and tweets astir my lad Ben. I’m genuinely overwhelmed by however galore radical helium touched-and from the bottommost of my bosom convey you for sending your champion wishes and letting maine cognize however overmuch you loved him," helium wrote.  

Ben (the canine of ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit) lies connected the tract earlier the crippled betwixt the Oklahoma Sooners and Tennessee Volunteers astatine Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.  (Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images)

"This has been a truly pugnacious time and each your touching notes and messages person truly deed home. Thank you for taking the clip to scope retired and sharing specified beauteous words astir Ben. Appreciate each of you." 

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