Oakland A’s color commentator Dallas Braden is speaking out after being silent in the booth as his broadcasting partner, Glen Kuiper, uttered a racial slur during a live broadcast last week.
Kuiper, who has been suspended by NBC Sports California, accidentally used the N-word as he was trying to describe an outing to a Negro League museum, with Braden not reacting in the immediate aftermath.
The former A’s pitcher then released a statement that he posted to his Twitter page Monday night.
“As those of you who know me well recognize, I usually speak out about injustices in order to find understanding and push conversations forward,” Braden wrote.
“Several people have questioned my lack of response to an issue that took place during the pregame broadcast of the Oakland A’s game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Friday, May 5th. I believe my silence has been misinterpreted.
“At the time of the incident, I was not aware that anything in the broadcast was amiss. The nuances of live television mean that sometimes we, as broadcasters, miss some of what you, our audiences, hear. We have producers speaking in our ears about what is next, we are formulating our words to articulate our thoughts, we are moving direction from camera to camera, we are waiting for cues, we are checking sound. We have lots going on that is not always visible to our audience. In that moment, I missed the comment and was not aware of it until the sixth inning when Glen Kuiper made an apology.”
Braden then went on to say that the incident has “impacted him greatly” and expressed support for his broadcast partner, calling it an “unfortunate mistake.”
“When issues around race occur, I’m always interested in having conversations aimed at finding healing and advancing collaborative discussions,” the statement continued. “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.”
Kuiper uttered the slur during last Friday night’s game against the Royals at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City, and was removed from the air the next day.
NBC Sports California then announced Kuiper’s suspension until an internal review of the incident is complete, scheduled for Friday.
Kuiper apologized on air later in the game.
“A little bit earlier in the show, I said something, didn’t come out quite the way I wanted to,” he said. “I just wanted to apologize if it sounded different than I meant it to be said. I just wanted to apologize for that.”