Former AL MVP and current NBC Sports California analyst Jose Canseco is known for, among other things, having ridiculous and offensive opinions about a wide variety of subjects. So we shouldn’t be particularly surprised that Canseco has ridiculous and offensive opinions about sexual misconduct, which he shared Tuesday on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/JoseCanseco/status/940702638391398402
https://twitter.com/JoseCanseco/status/940703393676513280
https://twitter.com/JoseCanseco/status/940703967272685569
https://twitter.com/JoseCanseco/status/940707855757398017
Now, if Canseco was truly molested, that’s a serious issue. But if the alleged “molestation” was a “turn-on” to him, he’s probably describing something else. And, to state the obvious, ugly vs. good-looking has absolutely zero to do with the issue of sexual assault. If you touch someone inappropriately without his/her consent, that is sexual assault, no matter what you look like.
Not long ago, the world would have been able to ignore Canseco’s comments (while cringing at the fact people with these opinions exist), but as of March he is an analyst on NBC Sports California, appearing on Oakland Athletics pregame and postgame coverage. Therefore, the Athletics felt the need Tuesday to issue a statement saying they were “disappointed” with Canseco’s statement while emphasizing that the former outfielder does not work for the team.
A statement from the Oakland A's. pic.twitter.com/TREZpby3nU
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) December 12, 2017
After the Athletics’ statement, Canseco told the San Francisco Chronicle the tweets were “riddles” and suggestion everyone pay attention to Donald Trump instead.
Canseco told The Chronicle via text, “If people can’t take a joke, that’s ridiculous. What I’m saying really has no meaning. Those tweets don’t even make any sense, they’re a bunch of riddles.”
When asked about the A’s response, Canseco said, “What company people should be more worried about is what the president of the United States is doing, not me. … I’m just a simple guy trying to pay my bills, don’t worry about what I’m saying, worry about who’s running the country.”
As of this writing, NBC Sports California has not issued a statement on Canseco’s comments nor announced if he will be disciplined in any way. But no matter what action the network takes, no one at NBC Sports California can pretend to be shocked. When you employ Jose Canseco, you know the risks.
About Alex Putterman
Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.