Buccaneers corner Carlton Davis apologized Sunday night about two hours after tweeting an anti-Asian insult. Davis wrote “I have to stop leaving cats in Miami” at 18:42 ET and then deleted the post shortly after, but screenshots were taken.
Davis has tweeted an apology at 21:01 ET and he explained that he didn’t know it was an anti-Asian insult, but he thought he meant someone “lame”. The 24-year-old also tweeted about what he thought was a word used in South Florida and said he would remove it from his vocabulary.
Davis, who went to high school in Miami, added that he never wanted to hurt anyone at a time when violence and racism against Asians are high.
“I’ve used a term where I come from has always meant‘ lame ’, but I didn’t realize it had a much darker, negative connotation,” he said in the Tweet. “I have learned a valuable lesson and I want to apologize to anyone who has taken offense at seeing that word because we need to focus on helping each other in these difficult times.”
Following Davis ‘statements, the sports working group of the American American Journalists Association issued a statement in response, calling the word “hateful insult” while acknowledging Davis’ apologies.
“Earlier today, Carlton Davis of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers posted a tweet that included a derogatory term that was historically used to refer to Asians in the early 1900s,” the statement said. “The Asian American Journalists Association Sports Task Force is disappointed with its sentiment, especially at a time when Asians in the United States are experiencing a sharp rise in anti-Asian hatred that has led to harassment and attacks … We also recognize that Davis apologize and look forward to seeing how it will help affected communities. “
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