He blamed the victim for the abuse she suffered at the hands of anti-Trump protesters, and now KVOA sportscaster Paul Cicala wants you to forgive him. At least that is what he is saying now after his Tweet blaming the vicitm of an egging in San Jose.
The hardly contrite talking head had a snarky grin on his mug as he delivered his canned apology on Friday:
The apology reads:
I would like to sincerely apologize to anyone offended by a Tweet I made last night.
The Tweet I made was about a Trump supporter who was attacked on Thursday night outside a Trump rally in San Jose, California.
My Tweet was wrong and I take full responsibility for it. While it was not meant to offend, I now realize just how irritated some people were by my Tweet.
I am embarrassed to have put myself in this situation and to have let those down who I respect so much. I pledge to do a much better job in the future.
KVOA statement regarding Paul Cicala Tweet
Written By News 4 Tucson StaffYesterday, KVOA’s Sports Anchor, Paul Cicala, Tweeted about an incident that occurred in San Jose, California between a female Trump supporter and anti-Trump protesters. Apparently, a woman who was wearing a “Trump” jersey was cornered, spat on, and pelted with eggs and water bottles after she indicated her support of Trump by pointing to her jersey.
Mr. Cicala’s Tweet suggested that other news organizations were not reporting that the female Trump supporter had “taunted” protesters and had “pointed” to her shirt prior to the assault from the anti-Trump protesters and that because of that the incident had not been fairly reported.
Mr. Cicala’s Tweet does not reflect the opinions of KVOA. It does not reflect KVOA’s core values, integrity and respect for the First Amendment. No one, of course, should be subjected to physical violence when expressing their support for a particular candidate.
Mr. Cicala and KVOA accept responsibility for his Tweet and we jointly apologize, not only to the victim, but also to our viewers and the community at large.
In addition, KVOA management has followed up with Mr. Cicala to make sure we have all learned from his mistake.