Charissa Thompson honors Kirk Herbstreit’s golden retriever, Ben

The Thursday Night Football crew mourned the loss of Kirk Herbstreit’s beloved dog Ben, with host Charissa Thompson paying tribute on the show ahead of the showdown between the Ravens and Bengals.

Herbstreit, who is a Prime Video broadcast and college football analyst for ESPN, announced that Ben had to be euthanized Thursday afternoon after a battle with cancer.

“We would like to extend our deepest condolences to our teammate Kirk Herbstreit on the death of his beloved dog Ben. We all enjoyed seeing Ben here every week. He was a big part of the ‘TNF’ family and we will miss him greatly,” said Thompson.

The beloved golden retriever had won a special place in the hearts of football fans when he traveled with Herbstreit on a private plane to the games where he worked.

Ben was regularly seen on the broadcast set with his tail wagging and a big grin on his face, often attracting more attention on the football sidelines than in the autumn contest.

Teams often issued Ben his own credentials, and the University of Texas awarded him the title of Golden Receiver Coach on his pass for an October 19 game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Ben had a viral moment earlier this fall when he walked into the pregame show for the LSU-USC game.

Herbstreit revealed earlier this week that Ben had been undergoing chemotherapy, but his situation was getting worse.

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In the emotional announcement Thursday, Herbstreit called Ben “1 [of] 1” and thanked them for the overwhelming support in a separate post.

“I am truly overwhelmed by how many people he touched – and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sending me your best wishes and letting me know how much you love him,” he wrote.

Other members of the Herbstreit clan posted their memories of Ben, with son Jake, a former security guard at Clemson, posting a video of college football fans cheering on his late pet.

“This is such a cute video from our time in Texas a few weeks ago,” he wrote. “The audience’s reaction always makes me smile. I’m glad so many of you got to know Benny through your screens and on campuses across the country. He was my best buddy. I am so grateful that I was able to be with him so much until the end.

“I love you, Ben. Rest in peace, pup.”