ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Commentator John Feinstein will be back on
the air for Saturday's Navy-Air Force game despite uttering an
obscenity during the radio broadcast of last week's Navy game.
"No one feels worse about this than John. He made a mistake,"
Navy spokesman Scott Strasemeier said Tuesday.
Feinstein is a noted author of books about sports, including
basketball, golf and the football rivalry between Army and Navy
titled, "A Civil War: Army vs. Navy."
During the broadcast Saturday, Feinstein directed a profanity at
the referees after a Duke receiver appeared to push a Navy defender
so he could catch a 2-point conversion pass and tie the score 21-21
with 3 minutes, 20 seconds remaining. Navy came back to win 28-21.
Feinstein pulled himself from the rest of the broadcast and
offered an on-air apology at the end of the game. He also
immediately offered his resignation, but it was rejected.
"It was an inexcusable mistake," Feinstein said Tuesday. "I
regretted it probably some kind of nano second after it was out of
my mouth. I apologize to everybody who was listening and to the
people at the academy who have been great to me and to my partners
in the booth."
Strasemeier said because of Feinstein's busy schedule, he was
only hired to be the radio color commentator for the games the
Midshipmen have played against Maryland, Stanford and Duke and
Saturday's game against Air Force in Annapolis.
Strasemeier said he received only one e-mail about what happened
-- a request from a fan to retain Feinstein.
"I think people would feel differently if he didn't feel like
he made a mistake," Strasemeier said. "He apologized right away.
He offered his resignation."