Bode Miller apologized Wednesday evening for comments he made while on the air earlier in the day regarding an Olympic skier.
Miller and broadcast partner Dan Hicks were discussing Austria’s Anna Veith and her performances prior to and since surgery to repair a torn ACL. Hicks pointed to the procedure as a possible reason for Veith not performing at the same level she once did. Miller went a different route with his analysis.
Miller mentioned the fact that Veith is now married and how it is “historically very challenging to race on the World Cup with a family or after being married.”
Please tell me someone else caught Bode Miller with the greatest color commentary of any Olympiad ever: pic.twitter.com/l3MtYxUilV
— Mike Honcho (@doubleshift8) February 15, 2018
Miller apologized for the remarks later during the broadcast.
“I apologize,” Miller said. “That was an ill-advised attempt at a joke. I was an athlete who competed after marriage and I know how beneficial it is.”
He also sent the following tweets.
To be clear I was not seriously blaming Anna Veith's lack of results on her husband. It's a changing of priorities that is historically hard, male or female.
— Bode Miller (@MillerBode) February 15, 2018
I had the love and support of my wife while I was racing and I know it can be a huge asset. #happyvalentinesday
— Bode Miller (@MillerBode) February 15, 2018
This isn’t the first time since the start of the PyeongChang Games a member of the media has made a questionable comment. A radio host made a sexist remark about Chloe Kim and was later fired by his employer. An NBC analyst was pulled from the network’s coverage for a controversial remark he made during the Opening Ceremony.
