Chris Russo on Billy Bean death

Chris 'Mad Dog' Russo made a significant on-air blunder by mistakenly announcing the death of Billy Beane, the former Oakland Athletics general manager, instead of Billy Bean, the MLB Senior VP for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion who passed away from acute myeloid leukemia at 60. During his SiriusXM show, Russo expressed shock and confusion, discussing the wrong person's alleged passing before realizing his mistake after reading MLB's statement confirming Bean's death. He initially confused the two due to their similar names and ended up speculating about Beane's health, not knowing the latter was alive. Russo later corrected himself, clarifying that Bean was the one who had died, while Beane remained a prominent figure in baseball. The incident highlights the potential for confusion surrounding names in sports and has drawn attention from multiple news outlets. MLB praised Bean for his contributions to player education and LGBTQ inclusion during his tenure.