Oakland A’s Announcer Apologizes for Dropping N-Word in Broadcast

UPDATE

9: 30 AM PT — 5/7 — A’s beat writer for the San Francisco Chronicle Matt Kawahara reports that Glen Kuiper has been suspended pending a review of Friday’s Incident.

UPDATE

An Oakland A’s announcer copped to a mistake he says he made during a pregame segment ahead of Friday’s game against the Kansas City Royals — in which he used the n-word.

Glen Kuiper, a veteran, was on camera before the match kicked off, and he was describing what he and the A’s broadcasting team had gotten into earlier in the day … including visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and hitting up a barbecue hot spot there in town.

The problem … instead of saying “Negro” he said “n” — which came across very clearly over the airwaves, without any bleeping or censoring whatsoever. It came and went, while Glen and his in-booth partner didn’t seem to acknowledge it or even really notice it.

This wasn’t addressed until much later on in the game, right around the 6th inning … when Glen came back on the air and issued an apology as soon as they came back from a break. He said he said something earlier in the day that didn’t come out the way he intended.

At first, nobody knew what exactly he was talking about … ’cause he wasn’t specific.

Eventually, though, somebody tracked down the video … and now, the A’s say they’re looking into this and considering next steps. A rep for the team announced his use of the slur was “unacceptable,” adding … “The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation.” Kuiper’s in his 20th season of calling A’s games.

Originally Published — 5/6 10: 42 AM PT