An announcer who made racially-charged remarks during a basketball game in Oklahoma has released an apology.
Matt Rowan was caught on a hot microphone calling a girls basketball team “F*%king n***ers” when kneeling during the playing of the national anthem. He also said, “I hope Norman loses.”
Rowan was on commentary for a girls basketball game between Norman High School vs. Midwest City in Oklahoma.
“I made inappropriate and racist comments believing that the microphone was off,” Rowan said. “However, let me state that is no excuse, such comments should have never been uttered.”
Rowan was on the call for NFHS Network, the same network that also streams state tournament events for the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA). In his statement, he accepted full responsibility and did not want his co-host, Scott Sapulpa, to be blamed.
“Scott Sapulpa was not the one that made these comments, it was me and me alone,” Rowan said. “It is not my desire to shrink my responsibility in this matter and I certainly do not want Scott Sapulpa to share in the blame of this most unfortunate incident.”
Rowan noted he has type one diabetes and his sugar spiked during the game and that may have played a factor in his decision to make racist remarks towards a group of high school female athletes.
“While not excusing my remarks, it is not unusual that I become disoriented and often say things that are not appropriate as well hurtful,” he said. “I do not believe I would have made such horrible statements absent my sugar spiking.
Rowan also noted that he is not racist.
“While the comments I made would certainly seem to indicate that I am racist, I am not,” Rowan claimed. “I have never considered myself to be racist and in short cannot explain why I made these comments.”
Rowan also said he a family and church man and was one time a youth pastor.