Oakland A’s Announcer Fired for Accidentally Saying N-Word On Air

NBC Sports California

Following an internal review by NBC Sports California, Oakland Athletics announcer Glen Kuiper has been fired for unintentionally saying the n-word live on air, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The incident happened during a May 5 game. Kuiper was talking about his trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum earlier that day, but said the n-word instead. Later in the broadcast, he apologized for saying something incorrectly. Kuiper was then suspended pending an investigation, and he released a statement apologizing for it.

Now, Kuiper is officially out at NBC Sports California.

“Following an internal review, the decision has been made for NBC Sports California to end its relationship with Glen Kuiper, effective immediately,” the company said in a statement. “We thank Glen for his dedication to Bay Area baseball over the years.”

Kuiper released another statement of his own. In it, he once again apologized for the incident but also expressed disappointment in the company’s decision.

“Please know racism is in no way a part of me; it never has been and it never will be,” he said. “I appreciate the Negro League Museum president Bob Kendrick and Oakland A’s great Dave Stewart’s public support of me in light of this. I am an honest, caring, kind, honorable, respectful husband and father who would never utter a disparaging word about anybody. Those who know me best know this about me.

“I wish the Oakland A’s and NBC Sports would have taken into consideration my 20-year career, my solid reputation, integrity and character, but in this current environment traits like integrity and character are no longer considered. I will always have a hard time understanding how one mistake in a 20-year broadcasting career is cause for termination, but I know something better is in my future.”

According to someone familiar with investigation, the decision was made in light of “information uncovered in the internal review.” No specifics were given.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay called the firing a “missed opportunity.”

“I can’t imagine being in his shoes right now,” Kotsay said. “I think personally, we missed an opportunity here maybe to use this as an educational platform. But as you said, I don’t make decisions and this isn’t a decision I was involved in and nor was the organization really. This was a decision made by NBC.”

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