Robert Griffin III, a former NFL quarterback, retracted his comments made during Monday Night Football. Unfortunately, Griffin used a derogatory term in reference to African-Americans in front of a wide audience. He later took to Twitter to clarify his intentions, but the damage had already been done.
“Many doubted Jalen Hurts,” Griffin said. “They believed he couldn’t succeed outside the pocket and that he wasn’t the quarterback of the future. However, he proved all those individuals wrong.”
Yooooo, Definitely need to clarify this. THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT TO SAY. Was trying to say “those Bug-A-Boos” in reference to haters and doubters. Regardless of my intention, I understand the historical context of the term that came out of my mouth and I apologize. https://t.co/Dy4vVuigin pic.twitter.com/DL0lqcz0jK
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 13, 2022
“Yooooo, Definitely need to clarify this,” he wrote on Twitter. “I didn’t mean to say that. I was trying to refer to the haters and doubters as ‘those Bug-A-Boos.’ However, I realize the historical context of the term I used, and I apologize.”
Initially, he was attempting to praise the Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. Yet, he ended up overstepping while addressing Hurt’s doubters. I think it’s safe to say, mistakes definitely happen and in context, this may have been treated as a bigger deal than it really was. However, in the past, the reality is people were hurt by these comments and the slur used at the time was used to dehumanize millions of people.
In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it’s defined as “an insulting and contemptuous term for a Black person.” In so many words, he should be held for his actions and choice of words, not made an example for people to see.
