Yahoo Finance Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis apologizes for tweeting anti-Asian slur
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis apologized on Twitter on Sunday night after he sent a tweet using an anti-Asian slur.
“Gotta stop letting g**** in Miami,” Davis tweeted.
He apologized later, claiming he was speaking about a specific producer in Miami and cited an Urban Dictionary definition of the word that claims it has a different meaning in South Florida specifically. That definition, however, is underneath the top definition that clearly labels the word as derogatory against Asian people.
I would never offend any group of people .You reporters can look for another story to blow up . The term was directed towards a producer claiming he “ran Miami “With that being said I’ll retire that word from my vocabulary giving the hard times our Asian family are enduring ❤️. pic.twitter.com/bJEOjmZuRr
— C-Murda ™ (@Carlton_Lowkey) April 5, 2021
During these tough times
— C-Murda ™ (@Carlton_Lowkey) April 5, 2021
“I used a term that from where I come from has always meant “lame” but I did not realize it has a much darker, negative connotation,” he tweeted, in part. “I have learned a valuable lesson and want to apologize to anyone that was offended by seeing that word because we need to focus on helping each other during these tough times.”
Buccaneers GM Licht released a statement on Monday about Davis' offensive tweet, emphasizing that he and the organization want to help Davis learn from what he did.
Statement from GM Jason Licht: pic.twitter.com/pBtEUHOl8t
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 5, 2021
Davis recorded a career-high 68 tackles and four interceptions last season while helping the Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV. The 24-year-old will enter the final year of his rookie deal with the Bucs this fall.
Davis is the latest athlete in recent weeks to apologize for using a slur. Former Miami Heat forward Meyers Leonard used an anti-Semitic slur while streaming and playing a video game last month, and was later traded away and then waived.
Davis’ use of the word comes at a time where Asian Americans and members of the Pacific Islander community have dealt with a rise in hate, harassment and attacks — which has spiked significantly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Plenty of people in the sports world, including Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, former NBA star Jeremy Lin and Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, have spoken out about the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in recent weeks.
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