Dallas Braden explains lack of reaction to Glen Kuiper’s use of slur

Three days after Oakland Athletics announcer Glen Kuiper accidentally used the n-word during a broadcast, his partner, Dallas Braden, has issued a statement on the matter.

Braden, who was sitting next to Kuiper at the time of the incident, had essentially no reaction to Kuiper’s use of the word. As part of his statement, addressed that matter.

“Several people have questioned my lack of response to an issue that took place during the pregame broadcast of the Oakland A’s game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on Friday, May 5th. I believe my silence has been misinterpreted,” Braden said.

He continued, saying that he didn’t know what Kuiper had said until his apology came later in the game.

“At the time of the incident, I was not aware that anything in the broadcast was amiss. The nuances of live television mean that sometimes we, as broadcasters, miss some of what you, our audiences, hear. We have producers speaking in our ears about what is next, we are formulating our words to articulate our thoughts, we are moving direction from camera to camera, we are waiting for cues, we are checking sound. We have lots going on that is not always visible to our audience. In that moment, I missed the comment and was not aware of it until the sixth inning when Glen Kuiper made an apology.”

Kuiper was suspended the following day, with a representative from NBC Sports California saying he “will be off the air until a review of Friday’s incident is completed.”

[Dallas Braden, Photo Credit: NBC Sports California]