Oakland A’s broadcaster comments on use of racial slur on-air
May 9, 2023, 1:00 PM
Broadcasters Glen Kuiper and Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics in the TV booth during the game against the Minnesota Twins at RingCentral Coliseum on May 17, 2022 in Oakland, California. The Athletics defeated the Twins 5-2. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
(Photo by Michael Zagaris/Oakland Athletics/Getty Images)
Days after Oakland A’s broadcaster Glen Kuiper was suspended indefinitely for using a racial slur on-air, his broadcast partner is speaking out.
During a pregame segment Friday before the A’s faced off against the Kansas City Royals, Kuiper spoke about a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. However, instead of saying Negro, Kuiper appeared to use a racial slur instead. He apologized later in the game.
On Saturday, NBC Sports California suspended Kuiper as they review the incident. The A’s released a statement, as well, saying that language was “unacceptable” and the Oakland Athletics “do not condone such language.”
Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, said in a statement the word used by Glen Kuiper “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 yourselves to do the same!”
Now, former A’s pitcher and current broadcaster Dallas Braden is chiming in.
Braden, in his third year as a broadcaster with the team, posted a statement to his social media accounts, saying he believes his silence when the incident happened “has been misrepresented.”
At the time of the incident, I was not aware that anything in the broadcast was amiss. The nuances of live television mean that sometimes we, as broadcasters, miss some of what you, our audience, see and hear. We have producers speaking in our ears about what is next, we are formulating our words to articulate our tohughts, we are miving direction from camera to camera, we are waiting for cues, we are checkin sound. We have lots going on that is not always visible to our audience. In that moment, I missed the live comment, and I was not aware of it until the sixth inning when Glen Kuiper made an apology. I would like you to know that this incident has, indeed, impacted me greatly.
My thoughts: pic.twitter.com/D7jc67X7Pb
— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) May 9, 2023
Braden would go on to support his colleague, saying what Kuiper said was an “unfortunate mistake.”
Glen Kuiper has been a member of the Oakland A’s broadcasting team since 2004.
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