Two days after the A’s suspended broadcaster Glen Kuiper for saying what sounded like a racial slur on air, his partner in the booth, former A’s pitcher Dallas Braden, issued a statement on the matter.
The team suspended Kuiper on Saturday, saying that he will remain off the air until a full review of the incident has been completed. Kuiper appeared to say the slur while describing a recent trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
In his statement, Braden described his perspective of the incident, and said that his silence on the matter to this point has been “misrepresented.”
My thoughts: pic.twitter.com/D7jc67X7Pb
— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) May 9, 2023
“At the time of the incident, I was not aware that anything in the broadcast was amiss,” Braden’s statement read. “The nuances of live television mean that sometimes we, as broadcasters, miss some of what you, our audience, see and hear … In that moment, I missed the live comment, and I was not aware of it until the sixth inning when Glen Kuiper made an apology. I would like you to know that this incident has, indeed, impacted me greatly.”
Kuiper addressed the incident during the sixth inning of Friday night’s game, saying the word “didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to” and apologizing “if it sounded different” than intended.
Braden, who’s in his third season as Oakland’s TV color commentator, offered support for Kuiper and characterized the incident as an “unfortunate mistake.”
“When issues around race occur, I’m always interested in having conversations aimed at finding healing and advancing collaborative discussions,” Braden’s statement read. “I have reached out to have those conversations, and I have listened, and I have learned. I will continue to seek clarity, encourage learning, and engage in dialogue to bring out the best in our diverse community.”
