Greg Papa, a longtime Bay Area broadcaster and the lead play-by-play voice of the San Francisco 49ers, was recently let go by KNBR along with Papa & Silver co-host Greg Silver as part of a midday shakeup at the sports radio station. The move was made while Papa has been battling health complications from his cancer diagnosis. After much uproar over the decision, KNBR’s owner, Cumulus Media, proceeded to release a statement that only led to more criticism.
On Thursday night, while the 49ers had a preseason game, NBC Bay Area aired the first interview since Papa’s recent health issues.
Last summer, Papa was diagnosed with leukemia. In March, complications from a bone marrow transplant caused pneumonia, and Papa’s lungs collapsed, leading to 78 agonizing days spent in the ICU.
In an interview that featured many heartbreaking comments from Papa, he opened up about his health battle and being let go by KNBR.
“I was put on a ventilator,” Papa told NBC Bay Area’s Raj Mathai. “I was intubated. I was in an induced coma for about five days. It went from a life-threatening situation for certain to a life-altering one… I’ve made a lot of progress since I’ve been home. I made a lot progress since late July.”
Papa signed a multi-year extension with KNBR in April to remain the radio play-by-play announcer for the 49ers, but it remains unclear if he’ll be able to return to the booth for the 2026 NFL season.
But Papa at least wanted to keep doing his radio show and claims he’s been cleared to do that.
“I’m cleared, by the way, to go back on the radio show that I had that I no no longer have,” Papa explained to Mathai.
Greg Papa on being fired by #KNBR Radio (while battling #leukemia): “On a human level, it’s hard to understand.” Link to interview: https://t.co/GeIIejJhxL@nbcbayarea#49erspic.twitter.com/a4dIoajM0q
— Raj Mathai (@rajmathai) August 14, 2026
“The talk show was always something I thought I could return to,” Papa said. “Doing games is a different challenge.”
“So, I was fully preparing to return to work. There was never a discussion that that would not be the case,” Papa added. “And then one day you get a phone call, and I thought it was a return-to-work plan. Again, I was cleared. My hematologist cleared me to do that. And they went the other way, and they chose to terminate my contract.
“So, I went from terminal to terminated. In a short period of time. But I’m also indestructible. On a human level, it’s hard to understand that that could be done to you. But it does happen.”
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