Cowherd no longer on ESPN air after comments about Dominicans
 

Colin Cowherd no longer on ESPN air after comments about Dominicans

Radio host Colin Cowherd no longer will appear on ESPN following comments he made questioning the intelligence of Dominican Republic players related to baseball one day earlier, the company said in a statement Friday.

"Colin Cowherd's comments over the past two days do not reflect the values of ESPN or our employees," ESPN said in a statement. "Colin will no longer appear on ESPN."

Cowherd issued an apology later Friday via Twitter.

Cowherd had said Thursday that he didn't believe baseball was complex, saying a third of the sport was from the Dominican Republic, which had "not been known, in my lifetime, as having, you know, world-class academic abilities.''

Major League Baseball on Friday said Cowherd owes Dominican players an apology for the remarks, and the MLB Players Association also condemned his comments.

Earlier Friday, Cowherd addressed his remarks from Thursday during The Herd.

"I could've made the point without using one country, and there's all sorts of smart people from the Dominican Republic," Cowherd said. "I could've said a third of baseball's talent is being furnished from countries with economic hardships, therefore educational hurdles. For the record, I used the Dominican Republic because they've furnished baseball with so many great players."

Cowherd on Friday also cited reports and statistics to back up what he said about the country's ranking when it comes to primary education.

"I understand that when you mention a specific country, they get offended," Cowherd said. "I get it. I do. And for that, I feel bad. I do. But I have four reports in front of me ... where there are discussions of major deficiencies in the education sector at all levels. ... It wasn't a shot at them. It was data. Five, seven years ago I talked about the same subject. Was I clunky? Perhaps. Did people not like my tone? I get it. Sometimes my tone stinks.

"I think when you host a radio show, just like Jon Stewart hosts a show, I think sometimes I bring up stuff ... that makes people cringe. I'm not saying there's not intelligent, educated people from the Dominican Republic. I cringe at the data, too."

Major League Baseball issued its statement after Cowherd's show aired Friday.

"Major League Baseball condemns the remarks made by Colin Cowherd, which were inappropriate, offensive and completely inconsistent with the values of our game," it said. "Mr. Cowherd owes our players of Dominican origin, and Dominican people generally, an apology."

Tony Clark, executive director of the MLBPA, also issued a statement in which he took issue with Cowherd's response Friday to his original comments.

"As a veteran of 15 MLB seasons, I can assure you that our sport is infinitely more complex than some in the media would have you believe," Clark said. "To suggest otherwise is ignorant, and to make an ignorant point by denigrating the intelligence of our Dominican members was not 'clunky' -- it was offensive.

"These recent comments are particularly disappointing when viewed against the backdrop of the important work being done to celebrate and improve the cultural diversity of our game. Baseball's partners and stakeholders should help such efforts, not undermine them."

There were 83 Dominican players on Opening Day rosters this year, representing about 10 percent of all players in the majors.

The flap stems from Cowherd's comments on Thursday, which were made while debating whether it was difficult for a front-office executive to take over managerial duties -- using current Miami Marlins general manager/manager Dan Jennings as an example.

"It's baseball," Cowherd said Thursday. "You don't think a general manager can manage? Like it's impossible? The game is too complex? I've never bought into that, 'Baseball's just too complex.' Really? A third of the sport is from the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has not been known in my lifetime as having world-class academic abilities. A lot of those kids come from rough backgrounds and have not had opportunities academically that other kids from other countries have.

"Baseball is like any sport. It's mostly instincts. A sports writer who covers baseball could go up to Tony La Russa and have a real baseball argument, and Tony would listen and it would seem reasonable. There's not a single NFL writer in the country who could diagram a play for Bill Belichick. You know, we get caught up in this whole 'thinking-man's game.' Is it in the same family? Most people could do it. It's not being a concert pianist. It's in the same family."

Cowherd's comments drew the attention of Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista, a native of the Dominican Republic who asked Cowherd via Twitter for further clarification concerning his remarks on Thursday.

Cowherd, who had been with ESPN for 12 years, announced earlier this week that he's leaving the company for another business opportunity.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Boy, he and Donald are building quite the fanbase in the latin community.

Colin is absolutely AWFUL on the air... I hope this costs him his job at Fox Sports radio (or wherever he is going).

At least he still has his other job of sucking Brady and Belichick's nuts.

It's really hard to imagine that it took this long, but it's not surprising it happened as soon as he told them he was leaving.

He made a living at ESPN for spouting out the dumbest generalizations as out and out facts. He's said far dumber things than this, too.

What is interesting is that they let him give a mea culpa on air (the few minutes I caught of it came off as half-assed) and only then did they shitcan him. Funny given that shortly thereafter he was talking about how class ESPN was as a company and that two higher ups called him to thank him for his time.

With that said, it's total hypocrisy on the part of ESPN, given the bullshit they allow from Skip Bayless and Steven A. Smith.

I thought he was leaving anyways, going to Fox or something?

Jim Harbaugh rejoices. Hootie weeps.

Yep they figure they take this chance to look like the SJW hero, and give him a parting shot against ratings at the competitor.

Besides that.. this 'everyone has to be fired for any ****ing thing they' say is getting realllllllllllll old.

Hootie tears in...3.........2....................

I didn't hear the comments but the topic came up with people who did hear it. The way they made it sound was within the context of a majority of the guys are signed so young they don't finish high school, let alone college.

I'm no fan of Cowherd, and if he was putting his foot in his mouth then he made his own bed. He doesn't strike me as as some closet racist, or another senile Imus.

As for ESPN, this is nothing more than a convenient way to stop having to pay the guy for the short time he had left before moving to Fox Sports 1.

People are so ****ing sensitive lmao. Is what he said not true?

Big deal. They are butthurt he was leaving.

Unless it's live sports, I have zero interest in all things ESPN.

Okay, Mike & Mike is okay, but certainly not must hear radio.

first the hulkster, next the herd, who's next, the pope?

Seriously. Thin skin America