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[h1]ESPN apologizes for 'indefensible' headline about Jeremy Lin[/h1][h3]PUBLISHED 1 hour and 22 minutes ago[/h3]
Staff report Sporting News
ESPN on Saturday issued a statement apologizing for the presence of a racial slur in a headline about Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin that appeared on its mobile website.
The headline was "A !*@%@ in the Armor" and affixed to a story about Lin's nine turnovers in a Knicks loss. It, according to the website, was up between 2:30 and 3:05 a.m. ET.
Jeremy Lin, left, turned the ball over nine times Friday night. (AP Photo)
"There's no defense for the indefensible. All we can offer are our apologies, sincere though incalculably inadequate," editor-in-chief Rob King tweeted on Saturday morning.
The phrase, while containing a slur for people of Asian descent, also can be used to describe the presence of a vulnerable area. While ESPN's intent is unknown, the website also came under fire during the 2008 Olympics for using it in a similar context to describe the U.S. men's basketball team at the Beijing Olympics.
The incident is the latest in a string of racially insensitive remarks about Lin, who is of Chinese and Taiwanese descent: Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock apologized for an offensive Tweet about Lin last week that perpetuated stereotypes about Asian men; the MSG network displayed an fan-created image featuring the point guard's face posted above a broken fortune cookie with the words “The Knicks Good Fortune."; and boxer Floyd Mayweather said Lin is receiving attention on the scale that he has because he is Asian.
Staff report Sporting News
ESPN on Saturday issued a statement apologizing for the presence of a racial slur in a headline about Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin that appeared on its mobile website.
The headline was "A !*@%@ in the Armor" and affixed to a story about Lin's nine turnovers in a Knicks loss. It, according to the website, was up between 2:30 and 3:05 a.m. ET.
Jeremy Lin, left, turned the ball over nine times Friday night. (AP Photo)
"There's no defense for the indefensible. All we can offer are our apologies, sincere though incalculably inadequate," editor-in-chief Rob King tweeted on Saturday morning.
King, through ESPN's public relations department, also released an official statement: "We are conducting a complete review of our cross-platform editorial procedures and are determining appropriate disciplinary action to ensure this does not happen again. We regret and apologize for this mistake."
The phrase, while containing a slur for people of Asian descent, also can be used to describe the presence of a vulnerable area. While ESPN's intent is unknown, the website also came under fire during the 2008 Olympics for using it in a similar context to describe the U.S. men's basketball team at the Beijing Olympics.
The incident is the latest in a string of racially insensitive remarks about Lin, who is of Chinese and Taiwanese descent: Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock apologized for an offensive Tweet about Lin last week that perpetuated stereotypes about Asian men; the MSG network displayed an fan-created image featuring the point guard's face posted above a broken fortune cookie with the words “The Knicks Good Fortune."; and boxer Floyd Mayweather said Lin is receiving attention on the scale that he has because he is Asian.