John Focke, in his first year as the radio play-by-play voice of the Charlotte Hornets, has been suspended indefinitely after he tweeted a racial slur.
The former Timberwolves and Lynx broadcaster tweeted about an NBA playoff game Monday night, and typed the N-word instead of “Nuggets” when referring to the game between the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets.
“Shot making in this Jazz-(N-word) game is awesome! Murray and Mitchell going back and forth what a game!” read Focke’s tweet, which was subsequently deleted.
“The Charlotte Hornets are aware of the recent social media post by radio broadcaster John Focke. As an organization, we do not condone this type of language,” the Hornets said in a statement. “John has been suspended indefinitely as we investigate the matter more closely.”
Focke has apologized, saying he’s not sure how he “mistyped” the team’s name.
“Earlier today I made a horrific error while attempting to tweet about the Denver-Utah game. I don’t know how I mistyped, I had (and have) no intention of ever using that word,” Focke wrote.
“I take full responsibility for my actions. I have been sick to my stomach about it ever since. I’m truly sorry that this happened and I apologize to those I offended.”
https://twitter.com/JWFOCKE/status/1295538617323003904
Prior to taking the Hornets’ job in April 2020, Focke was the play-by-play radio voice of the Lynx dating back 2012.
He was also the executive producer and studio host for the Minnesota Timberwolves Radio Network since 2007, in addition to working in TV as the host of “Wolves Weekly” on FOX Sports North.
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