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Stephen A. Smith says he is “sincerely sorry” for his comments on baseball star Shohei Ohtani.
The ESPN commentator tweeted a long apology Monday after his statements on the morning talk show First take – that Ohtani, from Japan, “is helping to harm gambling” by not speaking fluent English and using a translator – has gone viral and has sparked widespread backlash.
“Let me apologize right away,” Smith said in the tweet. “As I watch this unfold, let me say that I never intended to offend ANY COMMUNITY, especially the Asian community – and in particular SHOHEI Ohtani himself. As an African American, deeply aware of the damage that stereotypes have done to many people in this country, it shouldn’t elevate my sensitivity even more. From what I said, I failed in this regard and it is mine, and mine alone!
Smith added that “Ohtani is one of the brightest stars in all of sports. It makes a difference, in terms of inclusion and leadership. I should have embraced this in my comments. Instead, I fucked up. Nowadays, with all the violence perpetrated against the Asian community, my comments – albeit unintentional – were clearly callous and regrettable. There is simply no other way to put it.
He concluded by saying that “I am sincerely sorry for the anguish I have caused with my comments on First take this morning. Once again, I am sorry. And I will gladly repeat those words at greater length tomorrow morning as well. (Smith appears as a commentator on First take every weekday morning alongside commentator Max Kellerman and host Molly Qerim Rose.)
The controversy began earlier Monday when Smith approached the fame of Ohtani, who currently leads the majors with 33 homers and made this year’s All-Star game as a pitcher and hitter – the first player in history. of the MLB to do so. Smith felt that Ohtani’s inability to speak English was bad for the marketing of baseball: “The fact that you have a foreign player who doesn’t speak English, who needs an interpreter, believe it or not, I think it helps to detract from the degree when it’s your box office call… I don’t think it helps that face number 1 is a guy who needs a performer so you can figure out what he says.
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