After conducting an internal review, NBC Sports California has fired Oakland Athletics broadcaster Glen Kuiper, effective immediately.
Kuiper was suspended on May 5, after uttering a racial slur during a segment before a game against the Royals. Kuiper mentioned visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, but he uttered a racial slur when he should have said "Negro".
Kuiper kept on talking after uttering the slur while his booth partner, former pitcher Dallas Braden, did not react at all. After numerous people wondered about Braden's non-reaction, he explained he hadn't heard the slur because of the "nuances of live television".
It was not until the sixth inning that Kuiper vaguely referred to the incident, stating that something he said "didn't come out quite the way I wanted it to". The Athletics called using the slur "unacceptable". After Kuiper was suspended, he issued another statement: "I could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said. I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies."
A person familiar with the investigation said "the decision was based on a variety of factors, including information uncovered in the internal review." The person spoke on condition of anonymity and didn't divulge specific details because the network had not publicly disclosed the results of the investigation.
I'm assuming at least some of the "information uncovered" in NBC Sports' internal review included additional racist slurs used by Kuiper. He had been broadcasting A's games for more than 16 years and if his slate was clean during all that time and he was truly horrified, I can't see NBC firing him for uttering one repulsive word on the air. However, his initial apology was very lame and he made no real reference to what he said in his second statement either.
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