Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis used an anti-Asian slur in a tweet on Sunday night and has since apologized, saying he did not know the impact of the word. The tweet, now deleted from his page, was: "Gotta stop letting g---- in Miami."
In his apology, David claimed he did not know the word is a slur and thought it meant "lame." He added that he now realizes how hurtful the word is.
"I would never offend any group of people. You reporters can look for another story to blow up. The term was directed towards a producer claiming he 'ran Miami.' With that being said I'll retire that word from my vocabulary giving the hard times our Asian family are enduring," Davis tweeted.
I used a term that from where I come from has always meant “lame”but I did not realize it has a much darker, negative connotation. I have learned a valuable lesson and want to apologize to anyone that was offended by seeing that word because we need to focus on helping each other
— C-Murda ™ (@Carlton_Lowkey) April 5, 2021
Along with the apology, the 24 year old also posted a screenshot from UrbanDictionary.com that included the definition of what he thought the word meant when he used it.
"I used a term that from where I come from has always meant 'lame' but I did not realize it has a much darker, negative connotation. I have learned a valuable lesson and want to apologize to anyone that was offended by seeing that word because we need to focus on helping each other during these tough times," Davis wrote.
Davis is on the Buccaneers' social justice board.
On Monday, Bucs General Manager Jason Licht said the franchise is helping Davis "learn from this experience."
"Carlton has been an active member of our Social Justice Player Board over the past two seasons and has played a key role in our organizational support for finding peaceful and productive ways to bring attention to societal issues that have plagued our country for many years," Licht said. "Words carry weight and it is incumbent upon all of us to have a thorough understanding of the words we choose and the effect they may have on others.
"We look forward to working with Carlton to find appropriate ways to learn from this experience and continue our joint efforts to put an end to all forms of social and racial injustices."
