Turns out ESPN Mobile and ESPN television anchor Max Bretos weren’t the only ones to use an offensive slur against Asians when discussing Jeremy Lin. Knicks radio voice Spero Dedes did too.
On his final call of the Knicks’ 89-85 loss to the Hornets Friday, Dedes said “For the first time in what has been a remarkable two-week run, Jeremy Lin shows a chink in the armor. The Knicks’ seven-game winning streak ends against the Hornets as they fall for the first time since February the 3rd.”
Here is the audio:
Using that phrase is unacceptable when discussing an Asian player and Dedes should know better. This is somewhat different from what ESPN Mobile did because being on-air requires more spontaneous thought than writing a premeditated headline. Still, it does not excuse what Dedes said. Even though he seemed to be using the phrase in the context of Lin showing a weakness on the court, poorly crafted and offensive statements are the result of calling games with cliches rather than original thought.
Hopefully the multiple incidents over the past few days have taught people to avoid making racist statements in all forums.
UPDATE: Dedes was disciplined by MSG though he reportedly will not miss any games. Spero said “I am deeply sorry that my unfortunate choice of words offended anyone, it was completely inadvertent. I have apologized to Jeremy and I apologize to the Asian community if others were offended. I will be much more sensitive to my choice of words moving forward.”
