“Long live Ben Herbstreit”, we could read on a sign.

“Always in our hearts,” added another.

“RIP Ben,” another fan wrote with a heart, while another panel featured a photo of Ben with a halo above his head.

Ben’s presence became a regular part of Herbstreit’s work with ESPN and Amazon, with NFL teams and college athletic departments getting additional credentials and Ben even sneaking onto the LSU-USC broadcast more early this season.

Herbstreit revealed on November 4 that Ben underwent a second chemotherapy injection on October 23, but his condition worsened to the point that he could no longer use his back legs and had not eaten in three days.

Three days later, Herbstreit announced that Ben had died and posted a tribute to the dog he previously called his best friend.

“We found out today that the cancer had spread to all of Ben’s organs and there was nothing more we could do – we had to let him go,” Herbstreit wrote, in part, in his Nov. 7 post . “I’ve had dogs my whole life, but Ben was one on one. He was intelligent, loving, gentle, patient, curious and welcoming to all. Always a big smile and a gentle wagging tail. He and I could communicate…he and I understood and supported each other. He was with me more than anyone at home and traveled with me for work. Such an easy-going companion.

Herbsreit, also an NFL analyst for Amazon, still called the game “Thursday Night Football” between the Ravens and Bengals, but he wrote on X the next day that it was “very difficult” to call.

During the pregame show, Amazon hosts Charissa Thompson paid tribute to Ben with a brief tribute and called him “an important member of the ‘TNF’ family.”