The Denver Post has announced that sportswriter Terry Frei is no longer an employee of the newspaper following a tweet he made regarding Takuma Sato, the winner of Sunday’s Indianapolis 500:
Post publisher Mac Tully and editor Lee Ann Colacippo on Monday made the following statement that the tweet by Frei was “disrespectful and unacceptable.”
We apologize for the disrespectful and unacceptable tweet that was sent by one of our reporters. Terry Frei is no longer an employee of The Denver Post. It’s our policy not to comment further on personnel issues.
The tweet doesn’t represent what we believe nor what we stand for. We hope you will accept our profound apologies.
Following a firestorm denouncing the tweet, the Denver Post quickly issued this statement on the matter:
The Denver Post's statement on Terry Frei: pic.twitter.com/0YAmYawW7q
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) May 29, 2017
On his part, Frei first issued a simple “I apologize” tweet and then offered this lengthier apology in hopes of saving his job:
I fouled up. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I said when I said it. I should have known better and I regret it. I in no way meant to represent my employer and I apologized to The Denver Post.
…
I apologize to Takuma Sato. I made a stupid reference, during an emotional weekend, to one of the nations that we fought in World War II — and, in this case, the specific one my father fought against. Again, I will say I’m sorry, I know better, and I’m angry at myself because there was no constructive purpose in saying it and I should not have said it, especially because The Denver Post has been dragged into this.
https://twitter.com/TFrei/status/869036468429127680
Frei was a seven-time Colorado sportswriter of the year, but now he’s looking for work after sending out an ill-advised tweet.
