Focke is in his first year working as the Hornets' radio play-by-play voiceJOHN FOCKE
The Hornets indefinitely suspended radio play-by-play announcer John Focke after a tweet he sent Monday included the N-word, and Focke "understands he deserves" his suspension, and that "more may be coming," according to Scott Fowler of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Still, he does "want to explain himself." Focke said, "I was trying to get it done as fast as I could, so that it was relevant by the time I posted it. I tried to type it and obviously I mistyped the word ‘Nuggets.’ And I did not reread it -- which, as you know, that’s rule No. 1 of working in the media. And unfortunately, I didn’t, because I was trying to get it up as fast as possible. And I hit ‘Send.'" Fowler notes Focke "called his boss at the Hornets to let him know what had happened." He also "apologized on Twitter -- although not until almost six hours after the original tweet." Some people "accepted the apology," while others "didn’t believe his explanation." Focke: "I'm gutted. I just feel terrible." More Focke: "I would hope that I would be able to have an opportunity to speak to the players and explain the situation" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 8/19). YAHOO SPORTS' Shalise Manza Young noted it is "unknown at this point whether the Hornets will accept that Focke made an honest, and honestly, awful, mistake." But one thing they will "have to consider: Focke has opened the door to something bigger -- that he might have a problem with the very people his livelihood is dependent on." Whether players will be "able to trust him or feel comfortable enough to sit down with him for the podcasts he does is something that has to be considered" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/18).
