Oakland A’s Play-By-Play Broadcaster Glen Kuiper Fired After On-Air Racial Slur – Update
UPDATED: The Oakland A’s play-by-play announcer Glen Kuiper has been fired after he used a racial slur on air earlier this month, according to AP, NBC Sports Bay Area and ESPN. For details, see below.
In a statement issued to several outlets, NBC Sports California — which airs the team’s games — reads as follows: “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.”
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According to the AP, citing an anonymous source close to the investigation, “the decision was based on a variety of factors, including information uncovered in the internal review.”
PREVIOUSLY on May 7: NBC Sports California has suspended Oakland Athletics broadcaster Glen Kuiper for using a racial slur during Friday’s broadcast.
Kuiper will remain off the air until a review is completed, a statement issued Saturday said.
Vince Cotroneo and Johnny Doskow will rotate in as play-by-play announcers during Kuiper’s absence.
EARLIER: The Oakland Athletics promised to take action against their play-by-play broadcaster, Glen Kuiper Jr., who apologized Friday after an on-air slip that resulted in an apparent racial slur.
Kuiper later apologized during the sixth inning of the A’s game against the Kansas City Royals.
The situation happened during the pregame, when Kuiper and broadcast partner Dallas Braden said they visited the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City. In relating the story, Kuiper mispronounced the word “Negro,” making it sound like a slur.
Kuiper gave a vague apology later in the broadcast.
“Welcome back to Kauffman Stadium. I just want to … a little earlier in the show, I said something, didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to,” Kuiper said. “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.”
The A’s organization released a Twitter statement condemning the action. The team promised to “address the situation.” .
“The language used by Glen Kuiper during today’s pregame broadcast is unacceptable. The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation,” the A’s said.
Kuiper is the brother of Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper. He has been with the A’s broadcast team since 2006.
Broadcaster Glen Kuiper opened the top of the sixth with an apology for something that he said earlier in the broadcast. No idea what that might have been. #Athletics #RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/EnAkn7oSaR
— Uprooted (@uprootedoakland) May 6, 2023
Tom Tapp contributed to this report.
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