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Sportscaster Jim Gray got caught in an uncomfortable scenario Friday morning when he blamed San Diego city leaders for letting the Chargers move to Los Angeles and then, in the heat of the moment, said Mayor Kevin Faulconer “should be shot.”
Luckily, Gray’s interviewer took the words right out of America’s mouth with his incredulous reply.
Watch the video:
“Unfortunately, this mayor in San Diego, he really should be shot,” Gray said told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer, co-host of the show “America’s Newsroom.”
Said Hemmer, quickly: “Really?”
“He did a terrible job in terms of football fans, yes,” Gray replied.
Watch the clip at minute 1:08.
Gray told Hemmer that he blamed Faulconer for standing on the side of hoteliers as voters were preparing to vote for Measure C, the Chargers’ proposal to use hotel taxes to help pay for a new stadium in the city. The measure failed and this week the team announced its decision to relocate to L.A.
As Hemmer shifted the conversation to ask Gray about the Super Bowl, Gray cut in to retract his earlier remark.
“I wanna take something back,” Gray said. “Saying somebody should be shot is wrong. That’s a bad phrase to use for that mayor. I wanna not say shot, I wanna say he should take the blame.”
Apology accepted, San Diego?
Despite his retraction, Gray’s remarks spurred viewers’ reactions in an already-tense atmosphere.
Gray isn’t the first sportscaster to ever put his foot in his mouth, of course. It’s not even his first time stirring up controversy. While working as an NBC announcer, Gray famously drew negative attention for his interview of baseball player Pete Rose during game 2 of the 1999 World Series, which some saw as too confrontational.
Gray later apologized to fans for his line of questioning of Rose, who at the time was welcomed into the 1999 All-Century Team despite being banned from the game years earlier.
As of Friday morning, Gray has not said any additional remarks about his comments on Fox News earlier in the day. And it’s unclear whether he’ll make an additional statement.
Accidental or not, the video will live forever on the internet. Only question remains: will sports fans and viewers forgive Gray for his latest remarks? Or will this be forgotten next week?
Let me know what you thought: Did Gray go too far? Were his remarks taken too seriously and blown out of proportions? Shoot me an email or share your thoughts with us on Twitter.
Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @RunGomez
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