Thunder announcer suspended for 'cotton-pickin' Russell Westbrook line

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Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (Photo: Mark D. Smith, USA TODAY Sports)

The Oklahoma City Thunder have suspended play-by-play announcer Brian Davis for one game after he said guard Russell Westbrook was "out of his cotton-pickin' mind" during Wednesday night's broadcast.

In a statement to ESPN, Davis said he accepted the suspension and apologized for using the phrase, which he said was not intentionally derogatory but drew criticism on social media for its racial undertones.

"It is with great remorse and humility that I accept this suspension for the insensitive words I used during Wednesday's broadcast," Davis told ESPN on Friday afternoon. "While unintentional, I understand and acknowledge the gravity of the situation. I offer my sincere apology and realize that, while I committed a lapse in judgment, such mistakes come with consequences. This is an appropriate consequence for my actions."

Thunder vice president of broadcasting Dan Mahoney told The Norman Transcript on Thursday that the term was "offensive and inappropriate."

"Brian assures me that it was not meant in any derogatory way, and he apologizes," Mahoney told the newspaper. "But again, we feel strongly that it’s inappropriate and offensive."

Davis, who is white, is in his 10th season as the Thunder's play-by-play broadcaster. He used the phrase in the second quarter of the team's 137-123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies after Westbrook impressively flipped the ball to Terrance Ferguson in the corner for an open three. Westbrook finished with six points, 20 rebounds and 19 assists.

The adjective "cotton-picking" has roots in the American South and has historically been used as a synonym for "damned." 

Did he just say “Westbrook is out of his cotton-picking mind”?..... pic.twitter.com/fvPZ5cTkjx

— Mark Robinson (@MarkyRobs) April 12, 2018

Mahoney told The Norman Transcript that it would be up to Davis to decide when or if he addressed his use of the phrase during any future broadcasts. Matt Pinto, the team's radio voice, will fill in for Davis on the broadcast when the Thunder host the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday night, according to multiplemedia outlets.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.

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