Bucs working with Carlton Davis to find ways to learn from his anti-Asian slur

[Captain Fear]

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Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis apologized after tweeing an anti-Asian slur Sunday night, but he also suggested his use of the term was not offensive.

The team released a statement Monday afternoon, saying it will work with Davis to “find appropriate ways to learn from this experience.”

“We have been in communication with Carlton regarding his social media post from Sunday evening,” General Manager Jason Licht said in the statement. “Carlton has been an active member of our Social Justice Player Board over the past two seasons and has played a key role in our organizational support for finding peaceful and productive ways to bring attention to societal issues that have plagued our country for many years. Words carry weight and it is incumbent upon all of us to have a thorough understanding of the words we choose and the effect they may have on others. We look forward to working with Carlton to find appropriate ways to learn from this experience and continue our joint efforts to put an end to all forms of social and racial injustices.”

Davis used an offensive term that refers to Vietnamese, Korean and Filipino people in a derogatory way, tweeting, “Gotta stop letting g–ks in Miami,”

Davis later deleted the tweet and insisted in his apology he didn’t know the meaning of the word.

“I would never offend any group of people,” Davis wrote. “You reporters can look for another story to blow up. The term was directed towards a producer claiming he ‘ran Miami.’ With that being said I’ll retire that word from my vocabulary giving the hard times our Asian family are enduring. I used a term that from where I come from has always meant “lame” but I did not realize it has a much darker, negative connotation. I have learned a valuable lesson and want to apologize to anyone that was offended by seeing that word because we need to focus on helping each other during these tough times.”

The Asian American Journalists Association Sports Task Force released a statement calling the group “disappointed by his sentiment, especially at a time when Asians in the United States are experiencing a sharp increase in anti-Asian hate which has resulted in harassment and attacks.”