A Charlotte Hornets radio announcer was suspended indefinitely by the team as it investigates a tweet he sent Monday that included the n-word in place of “Nuggets.”
As he was watching the playoff game between the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets, John Focke, who just concluded his first season doing play-by-play for the Hornets, wrote, “Shot making in this Jazz-[n-word] game is awesome! Murray and Mitchell going back and forth what a game!” in a tweet that has since been deleted.
The Hornets announced Tuesday that the incident was under investigation. “The Charlotte Hornets are aware of the recent social media post by radio broadcaster John Focke,” the team said in a statement. “As an organization, we do not condone this type of language. John has been suspended indefinitely as we investigate the matter more closely.”
“Earlier today I made a horrific error while attempting to tweet about the Denver-Utah game,” he wrote. “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.”
Focke, who also does a weekly podcast for the team’s website, previously worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.
Cheryl Reeve, who has coached the Lynx to four championships since 2011, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday that she knew Focke to be “one of the kindest, gentlest, good-hearted individuals I’ve ever worked with.” Calling what he did a “horrific mistake,” Reeve said that Focke was “not a racist” and that he “does not have an ounce of hate in his heart.”
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