In an attempt to calm the growing maelstrom enveloping him and his school, Hawaii head coach Greg McMackin has issued yet another rambling apology for the homosexual slur he uttered in reference to Notre Dame.
To recap, McMackin was speaking at the WAC media days earlier today and relayed a story about last year’s Hawaii Bowl versus the Irish. The coach referred to a dance the Irish performed during a banquet before the game as a “little faggot dance”.
Needless to say, the comments aren’t sitting well with most anyone. Almost immediately, the coach realized what he had done and initially asked the assembled media to “cover for me”. He then gave a rambling, half-assed apology.
Now, with the damage control meters pegged at DEFCON 1, McMackin has come out with both bended knees blazing.
Here’s the text of McMackin’s latest attempt at an apology:
“I would sincerely like to apologize for the inappropriate verbiage of words that I used. I have nothing against the University of Notre Dame. I don’t talk like that. I’m really ticked off at myself for saying that. I don’t have any prejudices. It really makes me mad that I said that. I’m disappointed in myself.
“It ticks me off that I said that because Notre Dame played a great ball game. What I was trying to do was be funny, and I wasn’t funny, and it’s not funny. Even more, it isn’t funny to me. I was trying to make a joke. It was a bad choice of words. I really, really feel that.
“I wanted to apologize. I’m going to apologize to my team. I’m going to apologize to the people of Hawai’i. ... All I can do is apologize, and I feel bad that I used those words. It was really stupid. I just feel really bad. I apologize.”
WAC commissioner Karl Benson stated that there would be no punishment coming from the conference until the university had meted out its sanctions; Hawaii has yet to publicly respond to its coach’s choice of verbiage.
When reached via email, Notre Dame director of football media relations Brian Hardin told CFT that “the university would not comment” on the incident.