Originally posted Wednesday, November 20, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
"Inside the NBA" star Charles Barkley apologized after joking to a female reporter, "I don't hit women but if I did, I would hit you."
Axios reporter Alexi McCammond tweeted Tuesday about the incident. She immediately complained to Barkley about what he had said and he told her that she "couldn't take a joke."
On Wednesday, Barkley released this statement through Atlanta-based Turner Sports:
“My comment was inappropriate and unacceptable,” Barkley said Wednesday in a statement. “It was an attempted joke that wasn’t funny at all. There’s no excuse for it and I apologize.”
The comments were part of an off-the-record conversation about Barkley's thoughts on Democratic candidates Deval Patrick and Pete Buttigieg, McCammond said in a series of tweets.
But McCammond said she broke this “off the record” rule because of the inappropriate nature of his comments.
Barkley, a former NBA player, has been part of the “Inside the NBA” crew since 2000.
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