The sports world had an unexpected loss this week, with football analyst Kirk Herbstreit announcing Thursday that his beloved dog Ben has died. Ben, known for accompanying Herbstreit to college football and NFL games across the country, had been with Herbstreit’s family for 10 years.

In a heartfelt post on social media, Herbstreit wrote that Ben, who had been diagnosed with cancer in March, had died after the cancer had spread to his organs.

“There was nothing left we could do — we had to let him go,” Herbstreit wrote. “I’ve had dogs my whole life but Ben was 1 on 1. He was smart-loving-gentle-patient-inquisitive-and welcoming to all … Hard day — but he will live within all of us forever.”

Herbstreit had previously provided updates on Ben’s health prior to the dog’s death.

The golden retriever began joining Herbstreit on the road in 2021, making his first appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay in November of that year. Ben was a common sight at the games that Herbstreit attended as an ESPN college football analyst and as an NFL analyst for Amazon’s Thursday Night Football. Ben was also known for interrupting some of those broadcasts, wagging his way to Herbstreit in the announcing booth.

Ben was equally beloved by the teams he visited, with several teams making credentials specifically for the golden retriever. This season, Herbstreit shared that the Miami Dolphins had made Ben a credential designating him as the “Chief Happiness Officer of Football” and that the Atlanta Falcons had designated him as a “wide retriever.”

Herbstreit revealed last fall that Ben had become an official emotional support animal (ESA).

A few hours after his initial post, Herbstreit posted again, sharing his appreciation for people reaching out about Ben.

“My phone hasn’t stopped ringing for the last 3 hours with texts and tweets about my boy Ben. I’m truly overwhelmed by how many people he touched,” Herbstreit wrote. “This has been a really tough day and all your touching notes and messages have really hit home. Thank you for taking the time to reach out and sharing such beautiful words about Ben.”