Disgraced Ex-Kings Announcer Grant Napear ‘Not Sorry’ for ‘All Lives Matter’ Tweet
Ex-Sacramento Kings announcer Grant Napear is, once again, in the news for the wrong reasons.
Napear, the longtime Kings announcer and California radio host, came under mass scrutiny in June for an offensive tweet. A few months later, Napear — who resigned from the Sacramento Kings following the tweet — addressed the controversy and said he’s “not sorry.”
Grant Napear tweeted ‘All Lives Matter’ in June
From 1988 through earlier this year, Grant Napear served as the Sacramento Kings’ TV play-by-play announcer.
Napear also had a popular radio show, “The Grant Napear Show,” on Sports 1140 KHTK in Sacramento.
Both tenures came to an end in June, when Napear tweeted “ALL LIVES MATTER” in response to former Kings star DeMarcus Cousins. The phrase “All Lives Matter” is considered problematic and dismissive of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Napear resigned from the Kings’ TV job following negative social media reaction. Sports 1140 KHTK fired Napear for his “insensitive” comments.
Napear is one of many announcers who have had an ugly 2020
Grant Napear began the summer of announcers and reporters finding themselves in hot water over controversial comments.
Since Napear’s tweet in June, numerous other media members either lost their jobs, served suspensions, or received demotions. Here’s a rundown of some notable names and incidents.
- The Charlotte Hornets parted ways with radio announcer John Focke after tweeting a racial slur in place of the word “Nuggets.”
- ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski served a suspension for sending a profane email to Republican Senator Josh Hawley.
- The NFL Network suspended star reporter Ian Rapoport until October 22. Rapoport sponsored Manscaped Lawn Mower, a male grooming device, on his Instagram without the network’s permission.
- ESPN left veteran play-by-play announcer Dave LaMont off the network’s college football coverage when he said Maria Taylor, a Black colleague, was “venting” on a conference call which followed the death of George Floyd.
- Seahawks announcer Dori Monson is serving an indefinite suspension for a transphobic tweet.
- Mike Milbury, the longtime NHL announcer, stepped down from NBC’s playoff coverage after he made controversial comments involving women and the NHL bubble.
With two months left in the year — and with the U.S. Presidential Election quickly approaching — don’t be surprised to see that list grow.
Grant Napear just explained why he’s ‘not sorry’
Grant Napear has had over four months to think about his situation and why he no longer has his two broadcasting jobs.
Napear has come to a conclusion, one he shared with Fox 40 in Sacramento.
Napear said he wrote, ‘all lives matter, every single one’ because he truly believes the “lives of Black people matter.” Does Napear, who said he’s for equality, regret tweeting “ALL LIVES MATTER” and the controversy that followed?
“Do I make mistakes? Yeah, I make mistakes and if I make a mistake, I try to say that I’m sorry. But I’m not sorry for saying ‘all lives matter, every single one. I’m not sorry because I believe that every life is important. … I’m not sorry because I try to treat everyone, regardless of the color of their skin, the same.”
Napear now hosts a podcast called, If You Don’t Like That With Grant Napear. Based on how vocal he is about his beliefs and where he stands, it’s hard to imagine a more fitting name for the podcast.
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