A high school sports announcer was criticized for racist comments he made about a women’s basketball team as they knelt during the national anthem. On Friday, the announcer blamed his diabetes for his actions.
Matt Rowan made the comments on Thursday in a game between Norman High School and Midwest City at the Oklahoma 6A State Basketball Tournament. In a recording of the broadcast, broadcasters are heard telling viewers that the broadcast would return after the national anthem, but the microphones were never turned off while the anthem was playing.
When the Norman High girls got down on their knees, broadcaster Rowan immediately criticized them, saying, “I hope Norman gets kicked in the ass.”
“Fuck them. I hope they lose,” he said. “… If they are going to kneel like that, hell, no.”
He then called the students the word N. The video of the live broadcast was recorded and shared online.
In a press release released on Friday, Rowan said he “regrettably made some statements that cannot be withdrawn”, and blamed the rise in blood sugar for his comments.
“During Norman High School’s women’s basketball game against Midwest City, I made inappropriate and racist comments, believing that the microphone was off; however, let me state immediately that there is no excuse for such comments,” he said.
“I will say that I suffer from type 1 diabetes and during the game my sugar was skyrocketing. Although it does not excuse my observations, it is not uncommon when my sugar rises, I get disoriented and I often say things that are not appropriate, besides being harmful.” He continued. “I don’t believe I would have made such horrible statements without my sugar spike.”
Rowan did not return a request for comment from CBS News.
Affiliate of CBS News, KWTV
Fred Henderson, whose daughter plays for the Norman team, told CBS affiliate KWTV that Rowan’s comments are “just a sign of the times” and that the comments have profoundly affected her daughter.
“She is not responding very well. My wife and I just tried to tell her to keep her head up, just pray and try to concentrate,” he said.
The Norman community released a video on Friday titled “#ThisIsWhyWeKneel”. In it, teachers, school staff and community members, many of whom are clearly moved, tell the girls impacted by the comments that they are proud of them and are with them in the fight against racism and intolerance.
“I just want to remind you that there is no room in this world for hate and I am so sorry that you are having to go through this and be on the other side of those hateful words,” said art teacher Tauri Sims. “But I want you to know that you have 100% support from your school, from your teachers at your school, from your community. We love you, we are proud of you. Keep doing what you are doing because you are doing a job amazing. ”
The Norman High School varsity defensive line coach said in the video that “it obviously wasn’t about respecting the national anthem, otherwise bozo wouldn’t have talked about it all the time.”
“Something else is bothering you, which is disgusting,” he said. “The best thing you can do, I think, is win the whole damn enchilada, which I know you can and I think you will.”
Many who have type 1 diabetes quickly commented on Rowan’s statement on Twitter, saying that they are “embarrassed and offended” by someone using the condition as an excuse for racist behavior.
Rowan, who says he is a former youth pastor, insisted in the press release that he is not racist and that he “cannot explain” why he made these comments.
Racist comments have led many of the affiliates to Rowan and his company to sever ties.
Norman Public Schools superintendent Nick Migliorino said in a statement that the school system is “outraged” that the comments are “aimed at any human being, especially our students”. He said the school system will no longer use Rowan’s company to broadcast the tournament live.
“We fully support our students’ right to freedom of expression and our immediate focus is to support these girls and their coaches and families, particularly our black students and technical staff,” said Migliorino. “It is tragic that the hard work and skill of this team are being overshadowed by the mean and mean words of these individuals.”
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) released a statement saying it was “disgusted” with the comments and that it severed ties with the “outsourced production team” involved. Although it did not specifically mention the name of Rowan’s producer, OSPN Live, the company was apparently removed from the NFHS website.
“The thoughts expressed in no way represent our network and we are outraged that they found their way into production. We are aggressively investigating the incident and immediately sever ties with the outsourced production team that was involved.”
The network said it “firmly condemns racism, hatred and discrimination” and apologized to students and others who were impacted by the comments.
“As an organization dedicated to empowering students and young people through high school sports and sports programs and making their achievements accessible to everyone in their communities and beyond, this incident is a direct violation of our mission as a company.”
Fastenal, previously listed as a sponsor of OSPN Live, tweeted Friday night that “officially broke ties with Matt Rowan and OSPN Live.”
On Saturday, it looked like the Facebook page and the OSPN Live website had been taken down.