A’s announcer Kuiper suspended, says he is ‘horrified’ by on-air slur
(KRON) — Oakland Athletics announcer Glen Kuiper has been suspended by NBC Sports Bay Area after he said a slur while announcing the A’s game against the Kansas City Royals Friday night, NBC Sports confirmed.
Kuiper will be kept off the air until a review of the incident is completed, per NBC Sports. Kuiper was not announcing Saturday’s game in Kansas City.
“I could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said. I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies,” Kuiper said in a statement to KRON4.
Kuiper uttered the slur before Friday’s game when describing his trip to Kansas City. He was referring to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, but the word that came out of his mouth was the n-word.
“We had a phenomenal day today,” Kuiper said. “N***** League Museum and Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque.”
The veteran broadcaster apologized for the incident before the 6th inning of the same game.
“A little bit earlier in the show, I said something that didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to,” he said. “And I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said. I just wanted to apologize for that.”
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The clip of Kuiper’s alleged mistake went viral on social media Friday night. Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Museum, issued a statement in response.
“I’m aware of the unfortunate slur made by Glen Kuiper,” he said on Twitter. “I welcomed Glen to the NLBM yesterday and know he was genuinely excited to be here. The word is painful and has no place in our society. And while I don’t pretend to know Glen’s heart I do know that my heart is one of forgiveness. I hope all of you will find it in yourself to do the same!”
The A’s issued a statement on the matter as well, saying on Twitter that the word Kuiper used is “unacceptable.”
“The language used by Glen Kuiper during today’s pregame broadcast is unacceptable. The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation,” the club said.
Kuiper has been calling A’s games for about 20 years, according to the Associated Press. He is the brother of Giants announcer Duane Kuiper.
Source: KRON4
