OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) \u2014 Oakland Athletics broadcaster Glen Kuiper was let go by NBC Sports California after using a racial slur during a telecast while describing a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kuiper was suspended by the network following his slur that aired during a pregame segment of an A\u2019s game against the Kansas City Royals on May 5. Kuiper talked about a trip to the museum with colleague Dallas Braden but seemingly mispronounced the word \u201cNegro,\u201d making it sound instead like a slur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFollowing an internal review, the decision has been made for NBC Sports California to end its relationship with Glen Kuiper, effective immediately,\u201d the network said in a statement Monday. \u201cWe thank Glen for his dedication to Bay Area baseball over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A person familiar with the investigation said \u201cthe decision was based on a variety of factors, including information uncovered in the internal review.\u201d The person spoke on condition of anonymity and didn\u2019t divulge specific details because the network had not publicly disclosed the results of the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kuiper apologized on the air later in that game without getting into specifics, saying he said something that \u201cdidn\u2019t come out quite the way I wanted it to.\u201d He later issued a statement through the network when he was suspended, saying: \u201cI could not be more sorry and horrified by what I said. I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\u2019s manager Mark Kotsay said the decision wasn\u2019t made by the team and that he sympathizes with Kuiper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t imagine being in his shoes right now,\u201d Kotsay said. \u201cI think personally, we missed an opportunity here maybe to use this as an educational platform. But as you said, I don\u2019t make decisions and this isn\u2019t a decision I was involved in and nor was the organization really. This was a decision made by NBC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kuiper has been calling A\u2019s games in the Bay Area for the last 20 years. He is the younger brother of former major leaguer and Giants announcer Duane Kuiper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n