ESPN commentator apologizes for 'Martin Luther Coon' comment

He didn't mean too, yeah right!

He said what he wanted to say. The man is a professional. He was hired to be a professional If he cannot handle his job, mover over and let the next person handle it correctly. He gets no free pass from me.

I totally agree with the both of you Stefany and Ostend. This was no accident.

The worst think about the Fruedian slip is that I've heard it before... and I suspect he has heard it before and perhaps even uttered it in jest. But this isn't funny.

Why are African AMericans always expected to "understand" this type of repeated crap and just go along with the theres-not-a-racist-bone-in-my-body offering EVERY TIME. This dude probably won a bet that he wouldn't say it live on air...It'd be great if a bunch of Black professional athletes showed up at his office for a discussion.

I am white. However, I see no excuse for what was obviously a Freudian slip; it revealed his true feelings. On the other hand, I see little to be gained by making an issue of it. However, it is more than adequate reason to watch Greenberg very carefully and object if he is ever considered for appointment to a position of influence.

Another politician was skewered for using the word "negro," which I saw as nothing worse than dated. But using the word "coon" was totally different; he was exposing his racial attitudes. It is only slightly less bad than the "N" word, which I will not even spell out.

Nothing can come out of you, that isn't ALREADY in you. it's just not possible. The word Coon is either IN your active vocabulary or it i not. It's very simple. Mike revealed something about himself Monday that wasn't previously known or not widely known. It's ashame

FRE Fortunately, you don't get to determine what should and should not be an insult to African-Americans. Of course you don't think an issue should be made of it. Of course you don't think Reid, a representative of the people, including dark people, did anything wrong by trying to legitimize a color based caste system with that "negro dialect" nonsense. I guess you can see the pattern here...blacks are expected to let it slide if whites don't think it's a big deal...and they rarely think slighting blacks is a big deal...

barbara - reid wasn't trying to legitimize a "color based caste system". he was making an observation about obama's unprecedented appeal as a presidential candidate and the attitudes of the voting public. just an observation, nothing more. you can infer what you like from his comments, but fortunately, you don't get to determine the intent of another man's words.

Brooklyn, if you didn't hear a caucus of blacks protesting Reid's ignorance, then the idea was legitimized. Saying that Obama would win because he is light-complexioned and can sound negro when he wants too, does in fact legitimize this system.

Since you are not Harry Reid, it should be difficult for you to tell others what he was "not" attempting to do while saying that we have no right to determine his intent. Neither do you.

midwest - i haven't told anyone what reid was or was not attempting to do in my own judgment. he told us himself. he explained his comments in the context of obama's mass appeal and the attitudes of the voting public. most, including those in the black community, agreed with what reid said, but objected to the words he used to deliver the message. his was a commentary on american voters and their attitudes, not on obama or black candidates from elections past. he took no personal position on the matter of voter attitudes. if anyone legitimized a color based caste system it was the voters, not reid. so, contrary to your comments, i haven't told anyone what reid was or was not attempting to do in my own estimation. i have simply repeated his explanation of this issue. some have determined, however, that despite reid's explanation they know better than he what his intention was.

Brooklyn, care to share the web address or quote which captures Reid's explanation? I've watched this from the beginning and the "explanation" you claim Reid offered is "I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words. I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African Americans for my improper comments."

Now what explanation of the public's attitude did Reid give? I'm not surprised that the black community has jumped to Reid's defense. 1) He's a democrat. 2). Obama was not offended so why should the rest of us be.

Reid is ignorant, no ifs ands or buts about it. He's a fool who expressed his personal opinion on whether Obama was dark enough to be win. You can explain it away until your heart's content. But, there is no other way around talking about how americans (short for his racist opinion) prefer light-complexioned, non-negro sounding blacks and NOT legitimize the system itself. I didn't hear anyone disagreeing with the system. Rather, they acknowledged that they believe it too.

So, what explanation have you repeated here today other than your interpretation of what his remarks meant? Reid, the anti-dark complexioned, anti-negro sounding Senator, needs no defense.

this was intentional.......then apololie hours later after the fact.....white folks will be white folks!

We have to move on.We have to much to deal with to spend our time worrying about a word.The word we should be worrying about is vote and why we are not doing that we Dr. King and so many others black and white gave their lives so that we might have this right.

He should be fired! His comments are racist about the Martin Luther King Holiday. His comments were made on air and are worst than that of Jimmy the Greek comments NOT on air on January 16, 1988, and he was fired by the CBS network after commenting to WRC-TV reporter Ed Hotaling in a Washington, D.C. restaurant that African Americans were naturally superior athletes at least in part because they had been bred to produce stronger offspring during slavery: “ The black is a better athlete to begin with because he's been bred to be that way — because of his high thighs and big thighs that goes up into his back, and they can jump higher and run faster because of their bigger thighs. This goes back all the way to the Civil War when during the slave trading, the owner — the slave owner would breed his big black to his big woman so that he could have a big black kid.”

'White folks be white folks'? Oh yes, that's not racist at all.

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It is sooooo neat that you are on a soundtrack, Ronald, but look at where the time has went! I and everyone else expects you to follow a trend of releasing an album every two years as was set forth by the duration of time from your first album to your second. Disorganized Fun was released in 2009. Its 2011, with two months left. DONDE ESTA!!!!!!!! Oh, what am I saying! I can't rush genius! Take your time Ronald, but take heed to this advice: people don't like to wait.