Former New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins is claiming that the New York media is to blame for his controversial comment.
Last week, the New York Giants cut ties with cornerback Janoris Jenkins. The move was made after Jenkins called a fan “retarded” via Twitter. He apologized, but it obviously wasn’t enough to convince the Giants to keep the cornerback around.
Now a member of the New Orleans Saints, Jenkins claims that the New York media “twisted” his words.
“I mean, I never stood by it. They twisted it. I said I’m sorry to whoever I offended,” Jenkins said, via Amie Just of the Times-Picayune. “The way I was raised, we got different cultures and different terms that you use. If I was to go out there and say, ‘Hey, you went retarded on [the] football field,’ would you look at it as me talking about somebody disabled? Or would you look at me [as] saying, ‘Oh, he did some crazy stuff out there, some amazing stuff’?
“It’s just different terms and I feel like people just took it the wrong way. Once again, like I did five days ago, I’ll do it again, I apologize if I offended anybody or anybody with those disabilities. I didn’t mean it that way.”
Jenkins didn’t apologize for his lack of judgment when asked about his word choice. Instead, he opted to blame cultural differences, and make excuses for his actions. Which is why his claim that the media “twisted his words” is out of line. It’s hard to twist someone’s exact words when they tweet it directly at somebody.
It’s disheartening to see Jenkins continue to claim his hurtful words were a cultural difference. Even if he did not mean to offend anybody with disabilities, he needs to take responsibility for his actions. He’s failed to do that.
The New Orleans Saints claimed Jenkins off waivers on Monday. He has a new home and a second chance.