MLB fans react as longtime Oakland Athletics announcer Glen Kuiper let go by network after on-air racial epithet: "So much for grace and forgiveness"
Longtime Oakland Athletics play-by-play announcer Glen Kuiper was fired by NBC Sports California on Monday. The move comes after an internal review into the on-air use of a racial slur by Kuiper during a May 5th broadcast.
Kuiper used the slur while describing a visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum during an Oakland Athletics/Kansas City Royals telecast. The museum is located in Kansas City.
Glen Kuiper will not return as A’s announcer for NBC Sports California after a review into his saying a racial epithet on-air this month, a network spokesperson said today:
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NBC Sports California, which airs Oakland Athetics baseball games, said in a statement:
"Following an internal review, the decision has been made for NBC Sports California to end its relationship with Glen Kuiper, effective immediately. We thank Glen for his dedication to Bay Area baseball over the years."
Kuiper had been suspended and not worked a game since the May 5th incident.
@matthewkawahara @georgetakata So much for grace and forgiveness
@matthewkawahara This is a mistake, just as what he said was a mistake. It was beyond obvious that his intent was to promote the Negro Leagues, its players, and the museum, and he botched it.
@matthewkawahara That's super lame. He clearly didn't even say it negatively like others with a hot mic take. He legitimately said it as a screw up on the words and didn't even notice. This is more of a suspension than firing. Wow...
Later in the game, Kuiper offered an on-air apology, noting that it was accidental, saying:
"Welcome back to Kauffman Stadium. I just want to … a little bit earlier in the show, I said something, that didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to. And I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said. And like I said, I just wanted to apologize for that."
Many Oakland Athletics fans defended Kuiper, assuming the use of the epithet was accidental or a slip of the tongue. For his part, Kuiper had issued an apology statement, saying:
"I could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said. I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies."
@matthewkawahara Typical these days. No one is ever given a break. Especially if you’re a white male. But go ahead, get your pound of flesh so you can feel morally superior…
@matthewkawahara I'm all for accountability, but this feels exceptionally punitive. Everyone seems to agree was a very unfortunate, but accidental, mispronunciation of the word Negro.
Curious what this "information uncovered in the internal review" was.
@matthewkawahara What the hell… it’s was clearly on accident… hope I finds another job soon..
Kuiper was describing a visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum on May 4th when the Athletics were in Kansas City to play the Royals. Bob Kendrick, the president of the museum, also came out with a statement on May 6th. He did not approve of the use of the word, but forgave Kuiper for its use, saying:
"I'm aware of the unfortunate slur made by Glen Kuiper. I welcomed Glen to the NLBM yesterday and know he was genuinely excited to be here. The word 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."
@matthewkawahara Wow they are letting him go over a mistake instead of letting him return learn from the mistake get better as a person. Instead they are choosing cancel culture which continues to strike in our country.
@matthewkawahara Cancel culture at its finest
@matthewkawahara @AsHotDog Really sorry to hear this. I still think it was an inadvertent slurring of speech. If he were a racist, there's no way people would not have known it by now, especially with him being in the pubic eye for so long.
The Oakland Athletics also issued a statement after the May 5th incident, saying:
"The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation."
@matthewkawahara Man this sucks. I'd be all for firing a racist, but this was clearly a slip of the tongue and an accident. This will likely ruin his career and taint the rest of his life. Anyone portraying this an anything other than an accident doesn't know Glen. Cowardly decision @NBCsports
Kuiper had covered the Oakland Athletics for 20 years
Kuiper was in his 20th season with the Athletics. He began in 2004 as an on-field correspondent before becoming the primary play-by-play announcer in 2006.