Donald Sterling has apologized for his racist comments…sorta.
The LA Clippers owner sat down with Anderson Cooper for his “first and only interview” about his racist comments, his estranged wife, and alleged girlfriend V. Stiviano. According to Gawker, Sterling is putting the blame on Stiviano and still claims that he isn’t a racist.
“When I listen to that tape, I don’t even know how I can say words like that. … I don’t know why the girl had me say those things,” he said on CNN. “I was baited… I mean, that’s not the way I talk. I don’t talk about people for one thing, ever. I talk about ideas and other things. I don’t talk about people. I’m a good member who made a mistake and I’m apologizing and I’m asking for forgiveness.”
When asked by Cooper what he is actually apologizing for, Sterling says he’s sorry for the attention and backlash he’s received, rather than the offensive remarks he made towards minorities.
“Well I’m sorry that so many people are hurt,” he said. “I never dreamt this could happen. It’s a terrible, terrible nightmare.”
But he wasn’t finished. Sterling had more words for Magic Johnson in his interview. Magic was one of the black men Stiviano posed with on Instagram, prompting the initial discriminatory conversation. As much as he respects Magic, he believes that the legend isn’t a “good example” for the children of Los Angeles.
“He knew the girl, he said. He knew the girl well,” Sterling said after talking to Magic Johnson after the tapes went public. While he didn’t say if he formally apologized to Magic he did say sorry in the interview. “If I said anything to offend him I’m sorry. He’s a good person. What am I gonna say? Has he done everything he can to help minorities? I don’t think so. I just don’t think he’s a good example for the children of Los Angeles.”
With Sterling opening up to Cooper, his estranged wife did the same with Barbara Walters. In a special interview, Shelly backs up Sterling’s reluctance to sell his team based upon pressure from the NBA Commissioner. She also mentioned that Sterling may have an early onset case of dementia.
Sterling told Walters her husband said, “I don’t remember saying that. I don’t remember ever saying those things,” after hearing the audiotape of him telling V. Stiviano not to promote her relationship with black people and not to bring them to Los Angeles Clippers games.
“I said, ‘Well, this is the tape.’ And he says, ‘Hmm. I don’t remember it,'” she added. “That’s when I thought he had dementia.”
She also pulled out divorce papers in the middle of the interview.
Shelly’s interview will air again tonight on ABC, Donald Sterling’s interview will be presented tonight on CNN at 8 p.m.
