‘I meant no harm - I’m forever sorry’: Green Bay Packers’ Devin Funchess issues grovelling apology after using racial slur ‘c****y’ and making slant-eyed gesture during media conference
NFL player Devin Funchess has apologized for using the racial slur ‘c****y’ and making a slant-eyed gesture against Asians during a news conference on Saturday night in Wisconsin.
'I want to apologize for the disparaging remark I used tonight,' Funchess - a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers - said in a statement posted on Twitter late Saturday night.
'It was not OK. I have grown to develop deep personal and business relationships in the Asian community! I meant no harm, and those that know me, know I have love and respect for all cultures and people. I will learn from this and will continue to grow as a person. I'm forever sorry!'
Green Bay Packers' wide receiver Devin Funchess has apologized for using a racial slur against Asians during a news conference on Saturday night
Funchess was talking to reporters during a press conference when he made the slur, as he was saying he was happy to see reporters in person after having to previously talk on Zoom due to social distancing.
Vaccinated reporters are now allowed to attend press conferences in-person, but must still wear face masks. Funchess made the slur when referring to their eyes and smiles behind their masks.
'I like to smile. I can tell you're smiling, I can see your face through the ,' he said to reporters before making a 'slanted-eye' gesture. 'I can see the face, everybody goes c****y, and that's how I know.'
General manager Brian Gutekunst called Funchess' comment 'very unacceptable' and added that it 'certainly doesn't live up to the standards and values of the Green Bay Packers.'
'We've addressed it with Devin,' Gutekunst said Sunday.
'He knows it's unacceptable. I do think he's sincerely remorseful and will hopefully learn from this. ... I do want to say that's something that is not condoned and it's certainly, it doesn't live up to what we believe here with the Green Bay Packers.'
Gutekunst was asked if the Packers considered releasing Funchess over the remark.
'Not at the moment,' Gutekunst said. 'I think through the conversations that we've had, I think - and there's going to be more - but I think that his apology was sincere. I think he made a mistake and certainly can't happen again.'
Pictured: Funchess took to social media to post an apology after making the racist slur and gesture. 'It was not OK. I have grown to develop deep personal and business relationships in the Asian community! I meant no harm, and those that know me, know I have love and respect for all cultures and people,' he wrote.
Green Bay Packers' wide receiver Devin Funchess, pictured as he runs through a practice station during NFL football training camp Saturday, July 31, 2021, in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Here's what Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst had to say about the racial slur Devin Funchess used after Family Night pic.twitter.com/hPW4AZxbJr
— Ryan Wing (@RyanWingFOX11) August 8, 2021
Here's what Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst had to say about the racial slur Devin Funchess used after Family Night pic.twitter.com/hPW4AZxbJr
Funchess, 27, signed with the Packers in April 2020 but hasn't played a down for them. He opted out of last season and noted at the time his family had been directly impacted by the pandemic.
Funchess had 21 touchdown receptions for the Carolina Panthers from 2015-18. He signed with the Colts but fractured his collarbone in the 2019 season opener and missed the rest of the season.
The use of the specific slur and gesture has been an on-going problem in the world of sports, with Yahoo Sports reporting that the women's team of Italian soccer club Juventus sent out a similarly racist tweet earlier this week.
In the tweet, a player was seen making the same eye gesture, with no explanation given for why it was sent out over the team's social media channels where it remained for around 20 minutes before being removed.
TBS announcer Ron Darling used the same word during the 2018 American League Division Series when talking about an Asian New York Yankees pitcher, and an ESPN headline in 2012 used the same phrase that Darling did when describing former NBA player Jeremy Lin.