00:00But instead, we have to hear people say that we only like her because she's white.
00:04Pat McAfee is apologizing for referring to WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark
00:08as a white bitch during a segment on his ESPN show.
00:12Earlier on Monday, McAfee appeared on his ESPN show
00:15arguing that Indiana Fever star Clark is the singular reason behind the WNBA surge in popularity
00:21and addressing claims that her race is what sets her apart.
00:25Well, that's a bunch of bullshit.
00:26What you have is somebody special, and we're lucky she's here in Indiana.
00:30McAfee went on to say,
00:31I would just like the media people that continue to say this rookie class, this rookie class,
00:35not just call it for what it is.
00:37There is one white bitch for the Indiana team who's a superstar.
00:40Though his speech was meant to be complimentary, the term was met with backlash online.
00:45ESPN analyst Kim Adams wrote on X,
00:47This is just completely unacceptable.
00:49Interested to see how ESPN handles it.
00:51And his entire argument is not conducive to anything going on in the WNBA right now.
00:56Just let the women hoop.
00:57The host took to social media on Monday, writing,
01:00I shouldn't have used white bitch as a descriptor of Caitlyn Clark, no matter the context,
01:05even if we're talking about race being a reason for some of the stuff happening.
01:09I have way too much respect for her and women to put that into the universe.
01:12My intentions when saying it were complimentary, just like the entire segment.
01:16But a lot of folks are saying that it certainly wasn't at all.
01:19That's 100% on me, and for that, I apologize.
01:22McAfee noted that he had also sent a personal apology to Clark
01:26and that the rest of his speech was, quote, still all facts.
01:30Clark was the number one pick in the WNBA draft in April
01:33after rising to stardom while playing for the University of Iowa.
01:36For more on this story, head to THR.com.
01:39And for the latest entertainment news and updates,
01:42keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.
01:44We'll see you next time.
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