Millen apologizes to Jaworski for ethnic slur
Matt Millen got into hot water for sticking his foot in his mouth while he was president of the Detroit Lions, and his internal sensor doesn't seem to have been honed much now that he's a television analyst.
Millen apologizes to Jaworski for ethnic slur
Mike Potter
Matt Millen got into hot water for sticking his foot in his mouth while he was president of the Detroit Lions, and his internal sensor doesn't seem to have been honed much now that he's a television analyst.
In an exchange with Ron Jaworski during ESPN's television coverage of the NFL Draft today, Millen called the former Eagles quarterback a "Polack."
Obviously moving to head off any potential backlash from the remark, ESPN quickly put Millen back in front of the camera following the next commercial break. Millen, sitting on a solitary stool and looking contrite, apologized for the remark and insisted he meant no disrespect to people of Polish descent. He explained that he and Jaworski are close friends, and that the term was only used playfully and with no negative connotation.
This is not the first time that Millen has come under scrutiny for using a slur. While still running the show in Detroit, he drew fire nationally after calling then-Chiefs wide receiver Johnnie Morton a derogatory term for a homosexual after a game at Arrowhead Stadium.
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ESPN, please drop Millen as an 'analyst'! He clearly knows what not to do in the draft as he proved in Detroit. Why use this idiot as an expert?— M-star- Whatsthe411 what did you say?? hahahahaha.. Matt Millen has to be one of the top 5 stupidest people who are employed in America.. He was the worst front office man of all time i have no idea why espn or any other network would think the viewing public would be interested in anything that dope has to say— jc2178
- To the people that are using racism in these post, this isn't racism. Being Polish isn't a race. Sounds like a beginning of a joke. Anyhow, Millen and Jaws are friends, and this is nothing but 2 guys having fun with each other. The mistake Millen made was letting others hear their friendly banter, and of course there are those waiting to make make life miserable for everyone.— watsonmr
- good thing he didnt call him a "bleep"— lukebonbon
- road515: Everybody's looking for a reason to get their feelings hurt today. It's all those years of liberal reporters shoving political correctness down our throats. The truth is that men make fun of each other as a part of conversation. Jaworski probably didn't even hear it, but some producer was afraid a Keith Olbermann type might get his panties in a wad so Millen had to apologize. Get over it all you pansies.— Lockyer
- Waaa! He called me a name! Waaaaaaa!!!! Sticks and stones
- Everyones missing the point. Our society has become so conditioned to sensitivity that we miss tyhe real things going on around us all of the time. Consequently , nothing really changes . We are looking at the wrong things. You want more of the same things? Keep on doing what you are doing and focussing on what you are currently. Its time for our society to grow up and stop acting like children.— jblanken11
- Strange headline. That's not an ethnic slur. It's just a poor choice of words between friendly co-workers. Really didn't rate an on-air apology. That's just the network being afraid it'll lose viewers. The networks and NFL have no trouble "saluting the troops", which is a salute to war on Afghans and Iraqis. But I guess bombing is okay if you don't call people names.— tacklinjoe
donny05 and road515, people regularly call Raiders K Janikowski "The Polish Cannon" in 2010. There's a difference between recognizing ethnicity and a slur.- As a pro, starting for the Eagles, Jaworski was often called the Polish Rifle.— CouchKing
- The word "Polak", actually, is not a slur. It simply means "person of Polish descent" in Polish. But somehow over time, people in this country have made it to be derogatory. It all depends on which way it was meant and how it was delivered.— tndmrtr
