Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer Jack Morris has been suspended indefinitely by Bally Sports Detroit for an apparent racist comment he made during Tuesday’s game telecast.
During Tuesday’s game, Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani, a Japanese-born pitcher and hitter who started this year’s All-Star Game, was about to step to the plate in the sixth inning. Play-by-play announcer Matt Shepard asked Morris, who won 254 games in his 18-year major league career and was a four-time All-Star with the Tigers, what the strategy should be against Ohtani.
Morris replied: “Be very, very careful,” but in an apparent tone that has long been used to mock English-speaking Asians.
BSD released a statement on Wednesday, stating that it is “extremely disappointed with the remarks.” The network also said Morris, 66, “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.” Bally Sports Detroit said it has “a zero-tolerance policy for bias or discrimination.”
The Tigers also released a statement Wednesday afternoon, supporting BSD’s decision to suspend Morris.
“I got told about it last night after the game,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “I support both comments by Bally and our organization that there’s no place in the game for it. I love this sport. This sport is arguably the most diverse sport, and certainly of all four major sports here in the U.S. and it should be celebrated.
“The athletes we get to celebrate tonight, we’re talking about Shohei Ohtani and Miguel Cabrera. The two biggest names coming into the game are from vastly different backgrounds, different countries, different parts of the world and they’re a part of our great sport. We need to celebrate that and learn that comments like that are not only unnecessary but unwanted.”
In Wednesday’s statement, BSD apologized “for (Morris’) insensitive remark.”
“We are deeply disappointed by the comments made by Jack Morris during the broadcast last night,” the Tigers said. “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.”
In the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game, with Ohtani coming up to bat again, Morris issued an on-air apology:
“It’s been brought to my attention, and I sincerely apologize if I offended anybody, especially anybody in the Asian community, for what I said about pitching and being careful to Shohei Ohtani. I did not intend for any offensive thing and I apologize if I did. I certainly respect and have the utmost respect for this guy.”
After his start on Wednesday, in which he allowed one run over eight innings and homered in the eighth inning, Ohtani was asked about Morris.
“I did see the footage and I heard it on the video. Personally, I’m not offended and I didn’t take anything personally, and I have no say as to what the Tigers want to do, or what they did.” he said through an interpreter. “He is a Hall of Famer. He has a big influence in the baseball world, so it’s kind of a tough spot.”
Morris has been working as a TV analyst since 2013 and has been covering the Tigers since 2015. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Modern Era Committee in 2018.
In 1990, Morris’ final season playing for the Tigers, he made a sexist comment to a Free Press intern. As Jennifer Frey approached Morris after a game to ask a question in the Tiger Stadium clubhouse, Morris said: “I don’t talk to people when I’m naked, especially women, unless they’re on top of me or I’m on top of them.”
Morris has since apologized for those remarks.
Contact Kirkland Crawford: kcrawford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.