New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has formally issued an apology after being caught on video earlier this month mocking an Asian fan wearing his jersey with taunts of "Leslie Chow."
"I feel bad, personally," Gronkowski told Sports Illustrated on Friday. "I feel bad. I talked to Joe (the man SI identified as the victim), and he assured me he took no offense in any way. I know others did, and I apologize to those who took offense. He's a good guy, and he's a friend of mine. He's a good dude."
The incident in question occurred on Nov. 9 while Gronkowski was hosting a Q&A session for fans at a local pub. Witnesses say after spotting the man Gronkowski began screaming "Leslie Chow" over the microphone, in reference to the Asian character in the movie The Hangover, Later he was overheard shouting "they told me he could only cook fried rice."
Immediately recognizing the errors of his ways, handlers for the oft-injured NFL vet instantly began reminding fans they had signed a confidentiality agreement not to post any photos online taken from the event. Still, it wasn't long before the video went viral.
When asked by SI on Friday if he was tired of videos involving famous athletes being used in such ways, Gronkowski snapped "I'm here to talk about the (Carolina) Panthers."
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