Why Thom Brennaman's apology for his anti-gay slur was weak and not enough

SB Nation

AS ESPN's Bomani Jones points out, when the Fox Sports and Cincinnati Reds broadcaster apologized last night for using an anti-gay slur on hot mic, "the first people he apologized to were his bosses, the last were 'the people i have offended' and not once the people he slurred." SB Nation's James Dator also noticed Brennaman's priorities in the sports broadcaster's apology. "It’s clear where his priorities were at the moment — and it wasn’t on trying to make amends with the people he marginalized in his comments," says Dator. "Instead of directly addressing his comments, Brennaman’s mea culpa was more concerned with telling people at home that he wasn’t a homophobic person, and trying to make good with his employers. The priority, once again, wasn’t on apologizing to the LGBTQ+ community. In the span of his 1:17 apology, a scant few seconds were spent addressing those hurt by the remarks. His words, couched in lazy, predictable language, apologized to 'anyone who was offended,' as if there’s a group of people in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond who don’t consider the word he used to be the most hurtful and hate-filled slur available. From the hot mic audio it doesn’t sound like Brennaman is joking, or making an off-handed comment." Dator adds: "The point is this: If Brennaman is making comments like this with a microphone in front of his face, hot or not, what has he said when there’s no risk of being on the air? This kind of <i>mistake doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s bred, and incubated by a workplace culture where being casually offensive is acceptable. To be comfortable enough to say things like this in the booth indicates a profound feeling of safety that saying things like this is okay."

UPDATE:

• Fox Sports removes Thom Brennaman from all NFL on Fox games: "Fox Sports is extremely disappointed with Thom’s remarks during Wednesday’s telecast," Fox Sports said in a statement. "The language used was abhorrent, unacceptable, and not representative of the values of Fox Sports. As it relates to Brennaman's Fox NFL role, we are moving forward with our NFL schedule which will not include him." Brennaman has been calling NFL games for Fox since 1994.
• Marty Brennaman, Thom Brennaman's Hall of Fame sports broadcaster dad, feels conflicted: "As a dad, I hurt for him,” Marty told Cincinnati.com. “What he said is not a reflection of who Thom Brennaman is. I know that’s not him. But I also feel terrible for the people the comment offended...An open mic is the biggest enemy you have. You always have to be conscious that the microphone could be open. The worst feeling in the world, if you’re not on the air, is that you say something, and you hear it coming back into your headset.”