5.29.2017

Sports writer fired for racist tweet about Indy 500 winner

"I am very uncomfortable with a Japanese driver winning the Indianapolis 500 during Memorial Day weekend."



On Sunday, Takuma Sato became the first Japanese driver ever to win the Indianopolis 500. Which was cool... but not so cool for one Denver sportswriter, who expressed on Twitter that he was "uncomfortable" with a Japanese man winning the storied motor race on Memorial Day weekend -- a tweet that promptly got him fired.

Not long after Sato crossed the finish line of America's most prestigious motorsports race, Terry Frei, a sportswriter for the Denver Post, farted out this ridiculous, thoughtlessly racist tweet trying to somehow draw an unfortunate connection between a Japanese driver winning the Indy 500 -- who says Asians can't drive? -- and the fact that he did so on a holiday meant to honor those who died while serving in the country's armed forces.




Let me guess, Terry. You're one of those old-school guys who still associates all things Japanese with World War II. So, like, 70 years later, when a Japanese guy wins this Super-American event on Memorial Day weekend, your mind immediately goes to the thousands of American servicemen killed in the war with Japan. This driver, by nationality, is somehow related to that, and that makes you uncomfortable.

And of course, you had to tweet that shit.

The reaction to Frei's tweet -- which has since been deleted -- was swift, with users calling out the underlying racism behind Frei's apparently discomfort, and some just flat-out calling his remark "monumentally stupid."


Later, Frei tweeted, "THIS is what Memorial Day is about. Dave Schreiner's death in Battle of Okinawa. Not for squeamish or 'sensitive.'" He was referring to Dave Schreimer, an American football player who was killed during World War II. Rest in peace and thank you for your sacrifice, but hell if I can tell you what any of that has to do with Takuma Sato winning the Indy 500 on Sunday. That tweet was also subsequently deleted.

Five hours after Frei's initial tweet, The Denver Post stepped in and released a statement regarding the matter: "The Denver Post apologizes for a tweet sent by one of our reporters, Terry Frei, that does not reflect the standards and values of our organization. We are treating this as a personnel issue and have no further comment at this time." Yeah, that was probably the beginning of the end.


Later that evening, Frei released a statement admitting he "fouled up" and that he "should have known better," while still devoting a lengthy paragraph to the combat exploits of his father, who flew airplanes during World War II. "That is part of my perspective," he wrote. Again, this is your own shit, and shit that has nothing to do with a Japanese guy winning the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend.


Not long after that, the hammer dropped, and The Denver Post announced that Terry Frei was no longer an employee at the paper. The Post also further apologized for the "disrespectful and unacceptable tweet" and stressed that Frei's remark did not "represent what we believe nor what we stand for."


Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that his ass got canned so quickly.





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