Sport1 min(s) read
Published 09:16 06 Sep 2020 GMT
Michael Jordan-owned NBA franchise the Charlotte Hornets have confirmed that they have parted company with first-season radio commentator John Focke for violating their social media policy, after he posted a racial slur on social media.
Focke has since claimed that the tweet was a “horrific error”, suggesting that his use of the N-word came about as a result of a mistype. The franchise’s response has been swift, despite Focke’s protestations of innocence.
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In the offending tweet, Focke had been attempting to comment on a game between the Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets. However, his since-deleted commentary on the game actually ended up reading:
“Shot making in this Jazz-n*****s game is awesome! Murray and Mitchell going back and forth what a game!”
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Focke was suspended indefinitely as soon as the error surfaced on the 18th of August, and has since been let go by the Hornets. In an initial statement, the franchise declared:
“The Charlotte Hornets are aware of a recent social media post made by radio broadcaster John Focke. As an organization, we do not condone this type of language. John has been suspended indefinitely as we investigate the matter more closely.”
Watch As Shocking 'Racist' Chant Is Used At High School Basketball Game:
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Publicly apologising at the time, Focke wrote:
“I made a horrific error while attempting to tweet about the Denver-Utah game. I don't know how I mistyped, I had (and have) no intention of ever using that word. I take full responsibility for my actions. I have been sick to my stomach about it ever since. I'm truly sorry that this happened and I apologize to those I offended.”
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The incident has sparked an intense debate over exactly what could have led to the misspelling. Focke’s defenders have suggested that autocorrect may have changed the spelling of “Nuggets”.
However, others on Twitter suggested that this could only have happened if the n-word had been typed into the phone previously, as - for obvious reasons - it is not typically included as part of a phone’s dictionary.
