‘I Can’t Breathe’: Pittsburgh Penguins Broadcaster Apologizes For Horrible Joke
The “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirts sweeping the nation and the world of professional sports are sending an important message of support for the family of Eric Garner. Many athletes on different levels have been wearing the shirts in warm-ups as a show of solidarity, but sometimes things get taken too far. That was the case with Pittsburgh Penguins studio host Stan Savran.
According to Yahoo! Sports, Savran was discussing highlights during the first intermission of the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets. It was 1-0 in favor of Columbus, and that was when Savran dropped this line.
“I thought, Jay, the Penguins would have to put on those ‘I Can’t Breathe’ t-shirts for a while, because Columbus was suffocating.”
Obviously, it’s a play on words that just didn’t come off right, and you can see that by the expression on co-host jay Caufield’s face.
At the time, the broadcast just went on and the announcers spoke more about the Pittsburgh Penguins’ game and less about the death of Eric Garner by New York police officers, which spawned the shirts.
Obviously, it didn’t take very long for someone to let Savran know of his poor choice of words, as Deadspin revealed that he quickly apologized via Twitter.
I can’t express how sorry I am for my mindless comment. Certainly wasn’t intended to make light of a tragic situation. Totally unacceptable
— Stan Savran (@StanLoveTheShow) December 14, 2014
and just plain stupid. It’s now how I’ve conducted myself during my career. Again, I apologize and hope you can forgive me.
— Stan Savran (@StanLoveTheShow) December 14, 2014
As you can see, he says “now how I’ve conducted myself,” and that obviously wasn’t what he meant to say. Savran tweeted again almost immediately following that one to correct himself and say he’s not having the best of evenings.
Meant to tweet that’s NOT how I’ve conducted myself during my career. Not a good night for me, obviously. Sorry again
— Stan Savran (@StanLoveTheShow) December 14, 2014
From there, a number of fans have tweeted their support for Stan Savran, and said they realized he simply made a mistake with the “I Can’t Breathe” joke during the Penguins’ broadcast.
The shirts have been worn by numerous athletes including LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, and others in the NBA. Just this weekend, the entire Notre Dame women’s basketball team came out for their warm-ups with the shirts on as a complete show of support for Eric Garner and his family.
Mistakes do happen, and so does poor judgment. The “I Can’t Breathe” comment from Pittsburgh Penguins analyst may not have been one of purposeful insensitivity, but one that was poorly timed and a lack of judgment. There has been no word on if Stan Savran will suffer any disciplinary action.
[Image via YouTube]
