Retired Navy Captain Apologizes After Making Racist Comments Caught on Facebook Live
A former U.S. Navy captain has resigned from the Naval Academy Alumni Association (USNA) Board of Trustees amid apologies for a number of racist comments he made during a Facebook Live stream.
The trouble began over the weekend when retired captain Scott Bethmann and his wife, Nancy, held a conversation while watching news about the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd. At one point, Bethmann accidentally started a Facebook Live broadcast where he and his wife were heard cursing and making derogatory comments about African Americans, Asian Americans and women.
“I’ve got the emails about how we’re supporting and we need to fix this problem. F*ck you,” Captain Bethmann says at one point. “So all the white people have to say something nice to the black b*tch that works in the office. But the black b*tch don’t get fired. It’s bullsh*t. Management’s going to fire the white people.”
After Mrs. Bethmann groans about “F*cking Asians from China who love to steal all of our intellectual property,” she was recorded warning her husband about what he says in public.
“You better watch yourself on that board,” she says, to which, Bethmann responds “I don’t say anything, that’s my point. I just said the white motherf*ckers can’t say anything. That’s the point we’re making here, Nancy.”
Bethmann was also heard saying the N-word before realizing he was live and turning the stream off. His Facebook page has been scrubbed, but the broadcast sparked significant outcry and the USNA announced his resignation on Saturday.
Bethmann also sent statements to the media, apologizing for the comments from him and his wife:
There are no words that can appropriately express how mortified and apologetic my wife and I are about the insensitive things we said that were captured on social media…I know that an apology from us rings hollow on many ears in our community, especially in the current environment. We intend on using this experience as an opportunity to grow, listen, learn, and reflect. We are deeply sorry for the impact our actions have had on the Naval Academy, my fellow servicemen and women, our former colleagues, friends, family, and the community as a whole. We are committed to educating ourselves more on the racial inequalities in this country and being better people.
Watch above, via WJXT.
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