Racial slur on live TV: Oakland Athletics’ announcer Glen Kuiper suspended indefinitely
May 07, 2023
Baseball team Oakland Athletics' official announcer Glen Kuiper has been suspended for an indefinite period for using a racial slur (the N-word) during the team’s Friday pre-game broadcast, an NBC Sports California spokesperson told CNN.
"Kuiper will remain off air until a review of the incident is completed," CNN quoted the spokesperson as saying.
Kuiper was talking about having a “phenomenal” time visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri with A’s TV analyst Dallas Braden when his tongue slipped.
Kuiper however on Saturday apologised for the slipup, which the veteran baseball commentator said was totally involuntary and accidental, CBS Sports reported on Saturday.
"A little bit earlier in the show, I said something, didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to," Kuiper said. "I just wanted to apologise if it sounded different than I meant it to be said. I just wanted to apologise for that."
The club in a tweet later that night said: "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 in a tweet later that night said: "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."
It is not clear what fate awaits Kuiper as far as his role in the club is concerned. It must be noted that broadcasters are usually suspended and sometimes fired for such actions and the duration of the suspension or a tougher action depends on the nature and graveness of the verbal misdemeanour.
Kuiper, 59, has been with the A's primary local TV as a telecaster for the last 17 seasons.
Oakland Athletics also known as Oakland A are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the American League West division. The team plays its home games at the Oakland Coliseum.
