MINNEAPOLIS -- Lee Hamilton has resigned as the Vikings'
radio play-by-play announcer after making racially insensitive
comments on his California talk radio show over the last 15 years.
"I didn't feel what was going on was fair," Hamilton said
Wednesday. "I just didn't want to be associated with this type of
thing."
Among the comments that upset local NAACP leaders was one in
which Hamilton appeared to question the ability of blacks to do
sports-talk radio. He also once made a derogatory remark about pitcher Hideki Irabu,
who is Japanese.
Nathaniel Khaliq, head of the St. Paul chapter of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People, had said two
weeks ago that his group planned to "strongly suggest" to the
Vikings they fire Hamilton for his comments.
NAACP leaders met with Vikings officials on Tuesday night.
Vikings executive vice president Mike Kelly said "no specific
demands" were made at the meeting.
"They told us they thought the Vikings should handle this, but
they wanted their concerns to be known," Kelly said. "There were
no demands. They want the Vikings to address this in whatever
manner is appropriate."
Claudie Washington, of Duluth, who is state president of the
NAACP, and Ron Edwards represented the NAACP at the meeting.
Hamilton, who was hired by the Vikings and KFAN Radio during the
offseason, made his debut with color man Joe Senser last Saturday,
calling the Vikings' 28-21 victory over New Orleans in San Antonio.
His regular radio show is heard on XTRA in Los Angeles, San Diego
and Orange County.
An April 2000 column in the San Diego Union-Tribune criticized
Hamilton for saying on air: "I think it's real hard to find an
African-American that can come in and do sports talk across the
board and be able to talk about a lot of different things."
Hamilton said he was talking about three applicants he had
brought in while working in San Diego for management to interview --
not all blacks -- when he made the statement.
The column also said Hamilton had made repeated on-air
references to former NBA player Charles Barkley's use of a
derogatory term for blacks, and said a network football analyst,
whom Hamilton didn't know was white, kept his job "probably
because he's African-American."
Hamilton admitted making mistakes.
"When you do live provocative radio and take 250 calls a week
you are going to get involved in some heated discussions,"
Hamilton said. "Sometimes what you say does not come out quite
right, and many times it is misinterpreted. I just don't think four
controversial calls in 15 years should define my career."
The NAACP had delayed taking action because of the death of
Korey Stringer.
Khaliq said his group originally had hoped to send letters to
the team, station and NFL opposing Hamilton's hiring, but the group
decided having a face-to-face meeting first would be better.
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