The San Francisco Giants knew they would face backlash this week when they announced Glen Kuiper, the brother of longtime broadcaster Duane Kuiper, was joining their broadcast booth for a spring training exhibition game.
Kuiper, the former Oakland A’s play-by-play man, was fired by the team after using a racist slur in place of the word “Negro” when discussing his visit to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum during a May 2023 game broadcast.
More news: Max Scherzer Makes Decision After Pitching Blue Jays to World Series
Thursday, the Giants’ chief marketing officer confirmed to the San Francisco Chronicle that Kuiper will continue his work beyond spring training and call 10-15 regular season games — and defended hiring him.
“The Giants are committed to inclusion, respect and earning our fans’ trust,” CMO Rachel Heit told the Chronicle. “We had numerous conversations about the requirements for excellence we expect from our broadcasters. Glen’s addition to the broadcast team is reflective of how he’s approached his growth and what he’s demonstrated from an accountability perspective.”
Kuiper, 62, apologized for his apparent slip of the tongue after he was let go by NBC Sports Bay Area, the A’s regional sports network at the time. The network performed an internal review which reportedly uncovered “several questionable emails” sent by Kuiper that violated NBC Universal’s employee code of conduct before letting him go.
More news: Former World Series Outfielder, 6-Year MLB Veteran, Dies
Kuiper released a statement of his own after his dismissal.
“I wish the Oakland A’s and NBC Sports would have taken into consideration my 20-year career, my solid reputation, integrity and character, but in this current environment traits like integrity and character are no longer considered,” the statement read, in part. “I will always have a hard time understanding how one mistake in a 20-year broadcasting career is cause for termination, but I know something better is in my future.”
More news: Six-time MLB All-Star, World Series Champion, Dies
Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, encouraged his social media followers to emulate his example in forgiving Kuiper.
“I’m aware of the unfortunate slur made by Glen Kuiper,” Kendrick wrot in a message posted to his X account. “I welcomed Glen to the NLBM yesterday and know he was genuinely excited to be here. The word is painful and has no place in our society. And while I don’t pretend to know Glen’s heart I do know that my heart is one of forgiveness. I hope all of you will find it in yourselves do the same!”
The Giants did, and Kuiper is getting a second chance in the same market that bid him farewell three years ago.
For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.