General Hospital (GH) spoilers and updates tease that Stephen A. Smith (Brick) walked back on his racist comments about Shohei Ohtani and said he never intended to offend the Asian community. His apology came after he received backlash following his remarks about the Japanese player’s need to use an interpreter.
General Hospital Spoilers – Stephen A. Smith’s Crass Remarks During First Take
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith, who moonlights as Brick on General Hospital on a recurring capacity, said that the popular Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani, who is Japanese, is “harming the game” because he needs the help of an English translator during press conferences.
Smith dropped these comments during First Take when they were discussing Ohtani, who will both pitch and hit in the upcoming All-Star Game. This will mark the first time in Major League history when one player is chosen to fill both positions. But instead of focusing on this significant milestone, Smith seemingly preferred to focus on Ohtani’s inability to speak the English language.
The ESPN host acknowledged that Ohtani is “special.” But he then made his crass remarks regarding the player’s need to use an interpreter.
“But the fact that you’ve got a foreign player that doesn’t speak English, that needs an interpreter, believe it or not, I think contributes to harming the game to some degree when that’s your box office appeal.”
He didn’t stop there, Smith added that Bryce Harper or Mike Trout should have been chosen, instead. He continued on to say that the Number 1 face, referring to Ohtani, is someone who “needs an interpreter so you can understand what the hell he’s saying.”
General Hospital Updates – Stephen A. Smith Explains His Comments In Twitter
After making the remarks and sensing that he made a mistake, Smith then took to Twitter to clarify his statements.
He pointed out that he wasn’t criticizing Ohtani’s language abilities but only referring to “the marketability and the promotion of the sport.” He added that in the US, it’ll be easier to promote the sport if you’re a superstar who speaks the English language.
The ESPN Host Apologizes For His “Insensitive” Remarks
Later on, the ESPN host apologized through a tweet. Smith said he “never intended to offend any community, particularly the Asian community – and especially Shohei Ohtani, himself.” He explained that he understood the damaging effects of stereotyping given that he’s an African-American. He admitted that he should have been more sensitive and that his remarks were on him. He said his comments were “insensitive and regrettable” “albeit unintentional.”
He then commended Ohtani for being one of the brightest stars in the sport and for making a huge difference.
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