Bode Miller apologizes for saying female skier’s career declined due to marriage

Bode Miller has been criticized for his apparent lack of passion as an Olympic analyst. (Also, he wears hats indoors.)

Tonight, though, he found himself under fire after deciding to blame a skier’s decline in form on her marriage:

Yikes! A transcript:

“The knee is certainly an issue, I want to point out she also got married, and it’s historically very challenging to race on the World Cup with a family or after being married. Not to blame the spouses, but I just want to toss it out there that it could be her husband’s fault.”

That’s not great, Bode!

Dan Hicks later essentially led Bode by the hand into an apology, though apparently Bode requires a bit more than a mere hand-holding, because it did not go well either:

“I know that you meant well.” 

“I apologize. It was an ill-advised attempt at a joke. You know, I was an athlete who competed after marriage, and I know how beneficial it is, I know the support team you need. I relied on my friends and family, and if you have the luxury of relying on a spouse I know they’re inevitably your biggest supported, and on Valentine’s Day, I did not mean to throw spouses under the bus. Certainly I’m going to be hearing it from my wife, I know.”

That’s probably not going to cut it, all things considered. It’s possible to read the last part of his original statement as a very bad joke, but he was pretty serious about his analysis at the beginning. Why else would you bring it up, given the context?

This might end with NBC issuing a statement to apologize further.