Tim Hardaway has had his fair share of blunders when it comes to having a mic in front of him. Back in the late 2000s, Hardaway told Dan LeBatard that he hates gay people. This eventually led to an apology, and quite a bit of controversy that would have been worse had he said that today.
Tim Hardaway Misspeaks
Last night, Hardaway made yet another blunder, and it could very well cost him his broadcasting career. During the third quarter of a game between the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs, Hardaway made an unfortunate comparison. As you can see in the clip below, he compares good defense to rape.
"See, ya'll thought that was great D, I thought that was just raping him," Hardaway said. "I think he should have called the police on that." Immediately, Hardaway's broadcast partners tried to move, and understandably so. At the end of the day, you just can't be saying stuff like that.
This blunder was going viral on Twitter last night, so an apology was most certainly in order. It's not a comment that you can just sweep under the rug, and Tim Hardaway was aware of that. According to TMZ, Hardaway kept his apology short but sweet, noting that he regretted it deeply. From there, he asked for everyone to focus on the game at hand.
"Hey everybody," Hardaway said. "I used a poor choice of words earlier in the broadcast. I want to apologize for that. And, you know, let's get back to the game. And let's finish this game off with a 30-point win and go home happy."
The Warriors have yet to comment on this, and it remains to be seen if Hardaway will remain as the team's analyst. This is one of those moments you can get fired for, although perhaps a second chance will be given. Either way, this was a very bad look for everyone involved.
[Via]