Photo: Getty (2)
On Monday, during a segment on the network’s talk showFirst Take, Smith, 53, claimed Ohtani, 27, can’t be the face of baseball because he uses an interpreter. The Japanese-born MLB star has often been compared to legend Babe Ruth due to his success as a pitcher and hitter on the field.
“I understand that baseball is an international sport itself in terms of participation, but when you talk about an audience gravitating to the tube or to the ballpark, to actually watch you, I don’t think it helps that the No. 1 face is a dude that needs an interpreter, so you can understand what the hell he’s saying in this country,” Smith said on the show Monday.
Getty
Smith then issued an apology on Monday evening. He wrote on his social media accounts that he “screwed up,” telling his followers that he never intended to offend the Asian community and, specifically, Ohtani.
“The reality is that I was completely clueless as to the kind of impact that this would have on the Asian and Asian American community. That was not my intent at all,” Smith said on-air Tuesday. “I just want people to know here’s where I stand. The second that I was informed about how hurt a group of people in this nation were off of what I said, that’s all that matters to me. All that matters to me because I don’t intend to hurt people like that. That’s not who I am, that’s not who I’ve ever been. If I have a problem with you, you would know it. If I mean to offend you, you’d know it. I don’t hide from it. I let you know I’m coming. That wasn’t the case yesterday.”
source: people.com
