"I would never offend any group of people. You reporters can look for another story to blow up"
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis has apologized for anti-Asian tweet.
On Sunday, Davis tweeted “Gotta stop letting gooks in Miami,” but deleted the post shortly after.
Two hours later, Davis tweeted an apology, claiming he was unaware the term was an anti-Asian slur. Davis shared a definition in which ‘gook’ means ‘lame’.
“I would never offend any group of people,” Davis tweeted. “You reporters can look for another story to blow up . The term was directed towards a producer claiming he “ran Miami “With that being said I’ll retire that word from my vocabulary giving the hard times our Asian family are enduring .”
“I used a term that from where I come from has always meant “lame”but I did not realize it has a much darker, negative connotation,” he said in another tweet.
“I have learned a valuable lesson and want to apologize to anyone that was offended by seeing that word because we need to focus on helping each other.”
On Monday, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht released a statement addressing Davis’s tweet.
“We have been in communication with Carlton regarding his social media post from Sunday evening,” Licht said.
“Carlton has been an active member of our Social Justice Player Board over the past two seasons and has played a key role in our organizational support for finding peaceful and productive ways to bring attention to societal issues that have plagued our country for many years.”
“Words carry weight and it is incumbent upon all of us to have a thorough understanding of the words we choose and the effect they may have on others. We look forward to working with Carlton to find appropriate ways to learn from this experience and continue our joint efforts to put an end to all forms of social and racial injustices.”
In other sports news, NBA star Steph Curry will auction off a pair of custom-designed Bruce Lee sneakers to raise money for the victims of the Atlanta spa shootings.
I used a term that from where I come from has always meant “lame”but I did not realize it has a much darker, negative connotation. I have learned a valuable lesson and want to apologize to anyone that was offended by seeing that word because we need to focus on helping each other
— C-Murda ™ (@Carlton_Lowkey) April 5, 2021