Fired Padres DJ defends himself after national anthem controversy
The ex-San Diego Padres DJ at the center of the national anthem controversy that humiliated the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus is now speaking publicly — apologizing for what he calls an “unfortunate mistake” and defending himself against allegations that the mix-up could possibly be a hate crime.
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This all stems from Saturday’s Padres game at which the chorus was slated to sing the national anthem. The group was on the field and ready to sing, when a recording of a woman singing the anthem played instead.
Members of the chorus later issued a statement saying they were humiliated and taunted by fans with homophobic remarks as they left the field. Then they called for the Padres and Major League Baseball to investigate whether “some people intentionally engaged in anti-gay discrimination or a hate crime.”
The Padres’ investigation concluded that it was a mistake by their resident DJ at Petco Park, DJ ArtForm. Yet the Padres still ended their relationship with him after the incident. On Monday, MLB launched its own investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, DJ ArtForm (real name: Art Romero) issued a statement Monday on his Facebook page, accepting blame for what happened but promising it was indeed a mistake and not discriminatory. He wrote:
“My deepest apologies and sincere regret toward the entire San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus & the LGBT community for the incident that occurred during the National Anthem. It was a very unfortunate mistake but it was just that, an error. I in no way, shape or form directed any type of hate, bad intent or discrimination towards the chorus or anyone involved. The incident was not a representation of myself, San Diego, & it’s amazing Baseball fans.
“I have felt the consequences of my mistake as a dream job has dissolved before my eyes which does not take away that I am extremely sorry for the horrible mistake that occurred. I have family members & friends that are a part of the LGBT community and I have always been a supporter of Equal Human Rights, so it pains me greatly to see that I am being accused of acting intentionally. As a former high school and college baseball player, I understand the importance of ensuring equality for all in sports and am appalled by some of the negative, homophobic comments made by fans related to the National Anthem incident.
“I have reached out to LGBT leaders in San Diego and am currently in discussion regarding a meeting with the Chorus and LGBT leaders personally in order to be as constructive as possible about the error. I’ve let down my city, my family and everyone who had faith in me. Once again, I’m truly sorry for this entire ordeal.”
Bob Lehman, the director of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus who wrote the statement about the incident, appeared on San Diego radio station Mighty 1090-AM on Monday and said the firing of DJ ArtForm was not his “decision to make.”
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“That was never my goal,” Lehman said about Romero losing his job. “Our goal was not to tear down and hurt anyone. Our goal was to make something positive and build something up.”
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
