On Thursday, boxer Ryan Garcia had one of the most destructive social media meltdowns we’ve seen in a while. The 25-year-old Garcia went on anti-Black and anti-Muslim rants on a X/Twitter Space, including saying “let’s go bring George Floyd back to life and go kill that n***** again.”
That led to a lot of reaction, including from Floyd’s friend Stephen Jackson. And it led to the World Boxing Council expelling the 25-year-old Garcia. Well, Garcia has now offered some further statements, including one on Instagram where he claimed his remarks were “s*** everyone says” and added “if you get triggered by a word that means you are too sensitive”:
He then offered a follow-up “no excuses,” with a “my friend asked me to say that”:
And this isn’t even Garcia’s first attempt to walk this back. As per CNN and The Associated Press, he tried that in a tweet Thursday night that he then deleted, with that saying “I was trolling I want all the killing to stop” and “I love everyone sorry if I offended you.”
None of those comments seem particularly apologetic. And none of them seem likely to get Garcia back in the WBC’s good graces. It is notable, though, that many, including Garcia’s parents and Jackson, have called for him to get mental health help, with this behavior just the latest in a wild several months for him. We’ll see what comes next for Garcia.
[Ryan Garcia on Instagram, CNN]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.