It was announced by the Colts on Sunday, that legendary broadcaster Bob Lamey had retired after thirty years with the team.
However, after a statement released by the team on Wednesday, we now learn that Lamey’s exit was a resignation over use of a racial slur, as opposed to a mere retirement.
According to the team statement via Bob Kravitz of WTHR:
Bob publicly acknowledged that last week he repeated an inappropriate word when telling a story. He immediately apologized to the people who heard him use the word, and then promptly resigned. Bob has a long and storied history in our community, but he made a serious mistake. We are deeply disappointed the incident took place and offer our sincerest regrets to all who were impacted by Bob’s lapse in judgement.
Reportedly, that inappropriate word, was the N-word.
That tale of events jives not at all with what Colts Owner Jim Irsay had to say about Lamey’s “retirement” on Sunday:
Bob Lamey is a legend and icon, and his name is synonymous with Indianapolis Colts football. With his historic calls, familiar sayings and passion for football, he became part of the fabric of this entire community. No one has been more ‘Indianapolis’ than Bob Lamey. Even more so, he was very much a part of our team family, and he’s as dear to us as anyone who has ever worn the Horseshoe.
What caused the Colts to release that glowing statement when they knew Lamey was retiring for using a racial slur, is a mystery. However, it was clearly a bad decision.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn