Oakland A's Announcer Suspended After Saying Racial Slur on Air

By Brian Jones

An announcer for the Oakland A's broadcast team has been suspended for using a racial slur on live television. NBC Sports California said Glen Kuiper will be off the air until a review of what happened during Friday night's broadcast is complete. 

During the pregame coverage of the A's game against the Kansas City Royals, Kuiper and broadcast partner Dallas Braden reflected on their "phenomenal day" in Kansas City. Kuiper said he and Braden visited the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum but used a racial slur in the process. Shortly after the A's 12-8 win over the Royals, the team released a statement. 

"The language used by Glen Kuiper during today's pregame broadcast is unacceptable," the team said. "The Oakland Athletics do not condone such language. We are working to address the situation." Kuiper didn't address the situation until the sixth inning, issuing an apology for saying the slur. 

"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, per ESPN. "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."

Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, issued a statement about the incident. "I'm aware of the unfortunate slur made by Glen Kuiper," Kendrick said. "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!"

Kuiper, 59, calls games for the A's on television and has been in the booth for 20 seasons. He has been covering baseball in the area since 1992, serving as a pre-game host and fill-in play-by-play announcer for the A's and San Francisco Giants telecasts. Kuiper is the brother of Duane Kuiper, a longtime member of the Giants announcing team. Radio announcers Johnny Doskow and Vince Cotroneo work the television during Glen Kuiper's suspension.

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