On Tuesday night, Mike Ditka issued a statement to clarify comments he made during an interview with Westwood One’s Jim Gray on Monday night. Here is that statement:
“I want to clarify statements that I made in an interview with Jim Gray Monday night. The characterization of the statement that I made does not reflect the context of the question that I was answering and certainly does not reflect my views throughout my lifetime. I have absolutely seen oppression in society in the last 100 years and I am completely intolerant of any discrimination. The interview was about the NFL and the related issues. That’s where my head was at. I was quoted in the interview stating, ‘You have to be color blind.’ I stated that you should look at a person for what they are and not the color of their skin. I’m sorry if anyone was offended.”
Hear the original interview here: