KANSAS CITY, MO – Glen Kuiper, long-time announcer for the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team, has been indefinitely suspended after he shockingly used a racial slur during the team’s pre-game show before a matchup with the Kansas City Royals on Friday.
During the pre-game show, Kuiper recounted the “phenomenal” time he had with A’s TV analyst Dallas Braden while visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.
Unfortunately, instead of saying “Negro,” Kuiper instead said the “N-word” (please note: this clip is uncensored).
Bizarrely, Kuiper carried on as if nothing was wrong, apparently unaware of his racially-charged faux pas, but several hours later he apologized during the broadcast, just before the start of the A’s sixth inning.
“A little earlier in the show, I said something, didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to,” he said. “I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said…I just wanted to apologize for that.”
He issued a second apology on Saturday, saying, “I could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said. I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies.”
A spokesperson for NBC Sports confirmed that Kuiper – who has been the Athletics’ lead announcer for 20 seasons – has been indefinitely suspended pending a review of the incident. A statement released by the Athletics called Kuiper’s slur usage “unacceptable.”
“The language used by Glen Kuiper during (Friday’s) pregame broadcast is unacceptable,” the statement said. “The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation.”
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick also issued a statement on incident, and suggested that the public try to find forgiveness in their hearts regarding Kuiper’s language.
“I’m aware of the unfortunate slur made by Glen Kuiper,” Kendrick said. “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 all you find it in yourselves to do the same!”
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