The Oklahoma City Thunder suspended a white sports announcer for saying that OKC star Russell Westbrook was “out of his cotton picking mind.”
Fox Sports Oklahoma play-by-play guy Brian Davis said he accepted his one-game suspension for his “insensitive” comments.
“It is with great remorse and humility that I accept this suspension for the insensitive words I used during Wednesday’s broadcast,” Davis said in a statement to ESPN on Friday. “While unintentional, I understand and acknowledge the gravity of the situation. I offer my sincere apology and realize that, while I committed a lapse in judgment, such mistakes come with consequences. This is an appropriate consequence for my actions.”
Davis made the comments on Wednesday night during a game between The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Dan Mahoney, OKC’s vice president of broadcasting, told The Norman Transcript that he was promised by Davis that he did not mean it in a derogatory way, but that the term was “offensive and inappropriate.”
It is unclear if Davis will address his comments in a future broadcast, but Mahoney said that decision is left up to him.
“Again, we’ve expressed to him strongly that it was offensive and inappropriate, and that’s all we can do for right now,” Mahoney said.
