Denver Post Writer Under Fire for Tweeting He Was ‘Very Uncomfortable’ With Japanese Driver’s Indy 500 Win
A Denver Post writer is facing Twitter backlash for a Tweet he sent after Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.
Following the victory by Takuma Sato of Japan in the famed IndyCar race,Terry Frei — a sports writer for the Post — posted a Tweet in which he said he was “very uncomfortable with a Japanese driver winning the Indianapolis 500 during Memorial Day weekend.”
Below is a screenshot of the Tweet, via Alan Cavanna of Fox Sports.
Frei deleted his Tweet, but the screengrabbed version quickly spread through social media. Here’s a small sampling of the reaction on Twitter:
It’s been fun watching @TFrei get lit into in the thread beneath this tweet on this beautiful Memorial Day weekend ??? pic.twitter.com/wqtSb6ntJB
— Daniel José Older (@djolder) May 28, 2017
@TFrei SPECIFICALLY personal, i am very uncomfortable w your racism, xenophobia & lack of understanding of what the Indianapolis 500 is all about
— megan brown (@thatgirlondeck) May 28, 2017
@TFrei the ratio on this tweet is going to be one to behold
— Philip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 28, 2017
I don’t understand how people are still dumb enough to publicize that they think this way. https://t.co/T6XqNxikKZ
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) May 28, 2017
Hello @TFrei I would like to buy the rights to “Never Tweet: The Terry Frei Story”, do you have an email address for Jeanne? pic.twitter.com/iQySEIAA9y
— Dan Lucero (@danluceroshow) May 28, 2017
On Sunday evening, Frei apologized for his Tweet.
I apologize.
— Terry Frei (@TFrei) May 29, 2017
UPDATE 10:52 P.M. ET — The Denver Post has put out the following statement:
The Denver Post's statement on Terry Frei: pic.twitter.com/0YAmYawW7q
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) May 29, 2017
UPDATE 4:40 P.M. ET — The Denver Post has a new statement out, saying Frei has been fired:
UPDATE: The Denver Post's statement on Terry Frei https://t.co/HPYG08nOe9
(corrects typo from earlier version) pic.twitter.com/3ROSPSsELE
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) May 29, 2017
[image via screengrab]
——
Follow Joe DePaolo (@joe_depaolo) on Twitter
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com
