He said he was a type 1 diabetic and that his blood sugar was strong during the game. He offered a “sincere apology” to everyone involved in the game, saying it was “not uncommon” for him to become disoriented and say inappropriate and hurtful things.
“Although the remarks I made seem to indicate racism, I am not,” he said. “I have never considered myself racist, and in short I can not explain why I made the remarks.”
The Tahlequah Public Schools athletics division said in a statement that it had contracted the crew to broadcast the basketball tournament, but the crew is not part of Tahlequah High School or the athletics division. The school system has terminated its contract with the company, Matt Cloud, athletic director of TPS, said in the statement.
CNN contacted Rowan’s attorney for additional comments, but did not hear from them.