Tiger Announcer Jack Morris Suspended Indefinitely
Detroit Tiger baseball legend turned Tiger broadcaster, Jack Morris, has been suspended indefinitely from the broadcast booth.
The suspension of Detroit Tigers broadcaster Jack Morris stems from comments that were made during a game against the Los Angeles Angels when play by play announcer Matt Shepard how the Tigers should pitch to L.A. Angel Shohei Ohtani during the sixth inning of the game. That's when Morris used an Asian accent and said, "be very, very careful." Morris did apologize when Ohtani was at bat in the 9th inning but apparently the damage had already been done.
According to WOOD, Morris said in his apology, "it's been brought to my attention and I sincerely apologize if I offended anybody, especially in the Asian community, for what I said about pitching and being careful to Shohei Ohtani." Morris did go on and comment on the respect he has for the talented Ohtani.
American regional sports group, Bally Sports Detroit made this announcement regarding Morris:
"Bally Sports Detroit is extremely disappointed with the remarks analyst Jack Morris made during last night's Tigers game. Jack has been suspended indefinitely from Tigers broadcasts and will be undergoing bias training to educate him on the impact of his comments and how he can be a positive influence in a diverse community. We have a zero-tolerance policy for bias or discrimination and deeply apologize for his insensitive remark."
- Bally Sports Detroit
Bally Sports Detroit wasted no time making a state nor did the Detroit Tigers who made this similar statement:
"The Detroit Tigers take immense pride in honoring the diverse cultures that make up our players, coaching staff, front office, fan base and community. We are deeply disappointed by the comments made by Jack Morris during the broadcast last night. We fully support Bally Sports Detroit's decision and their on-going commitment to ensure that all personnel are held to the highest standards of personal conduct."
- Detroit Tigers
On the field Jack Morris is a Tiger legend, and ever since being entered in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, his number was retired.
This isn't the first time Morris had a problem with his choice of words. 31 years ago while playing for the Tigers, he made a statement to a female reporter that was over the top. Morris said to the young female reporter, "I only talk to women when I'm naked if they are on top of me or I'm on top of them." A comment that was later defended by at the time team president Bo Schembechler who put the blame on the Detroit Free Press for sending out a female reporter.
Maybe its time for Morris to hang up the microphone?
Below is the clip of Morris commenting on Ohtani.