CLEBURNE, Texas (AP) — A high school football broadcaster in Texas has apologized after using a word during a game that many listeners interpreted as a racial slur.
But Mark Banton insists what he said wasn’t meant to be a slur.
Banton said Friday that many of his remarks during the Oct. 20 game between his alma mater, the Cleburne High School Yellowjackets, and Seguin High School in Arlington were taken out of context.
The Cleburne Times-Review reports that Banton said he used the word “Coogrows” to make fun of Seguin High’s mascot. Some listeners interpreted it as a conflation of words “cougar” and “Negro,” but Banton says that was not his intention. More than one-third of the Seguin student body is black.
Banton also apologized for a comment about a cheerleader’s weight, saying it was “out of line.”