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Kirk Herbstreit's beloved Ben getting outpour of love from college sports world

Countless people are so saddened over this news.
ByBraulio Perez|
Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit walks his dog Ben before the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit walks his dog Ben before the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

College GameDay will never be the same and football fans across the planet are hurting right now. That's because Kirk Herbstreit shared the news that all of us out there were hoping would never come - he had to say goodbye to his beloved dog Ben.

Earlier in the week, Herbstreit revealed that Ben had a horrific reaction to his second chemo injection, which resulted in him losing the use of his back legs. The hope was that some more treatment would be able to help him out, but Herbstreit announced that the heartbreaking decision was made to say goodbye:

"This is really hard to write but so many of you have loved and cared about Ben that I wanted to let you know. We found out today the cancer had spread throughout Ben's organs and there was nothing left we could do-we had to let him go. I’ve had dogs my whole life but Ben was 1 on 1. He was smart-loving-gentle-patient-inquisitive-and welcoming to all. Always a big smile and a soft tail wag. He and I could communicate..he and I understood each other and had each others backs. He was with me more than anyone at home and traveling with me for work. Such an easy going companion. Hard day-but he will live within all of us forever. God please bless his majestic soul and thank you for putting him in my life for the last 10 years-a true blessing. Love you Ben"
Kirk Herbstreit on social media

Kirk Herbstreit's beloved dog Ben has sadly passed away

For a while now, Ben has served as the unofficial mascot for ESPN's College GameDay, making some memorable trips and appearances. However, he was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and it's been a rough battle for him ever since.

For College GameDay last week, Ben was nowhere to be seen, which had plenty of people worried. Herbstreit then gave the update on Monday night, which was unfortunately followed up by this latest update. As you might have been able to guess, Herbstreit and Ben are getting showered with love right now.

Those are only a few examples of the massive amount of replies to Herbie's post. Come this weekend for College GameDay in Baton Rouge, you better believe that even more people are going to be ready to show support for Herbstreit before, during and after the LSU vs. Alabama game.

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