A Denver Post sportswriter’s observation that a Japanese driver’s Indy 500 victory made him “very uncomfortable” is not keeping with the values of that newspaper, Editor Lee Ann Colacioppo told Poynter in an email.
“Terry Frei’s tweet does not reflect the standards and values of The Denver Post,” she wrote. “We are treating this as a personnel issue and have no further comment at this time.”
On Sunday, Denver Post sportswriter Terry Frei launched his tweet after Japanese driver Takuma Sato held off the competition to win the Indy 500 on a day of hair-raising crashes. “Nothing specifically personal, but I am very uncomfortable with a Japanese driver winning the Indianapolis 500 during Memorial Day weekend,” Frei tweeted. He deleted the tweet shortly after.
Later that day, Frei tweeted an apology that noted his remark was made “during an emotional weekend” when he was thinking of his father, who flew 67 missions during World War II.
“I fouled up,” he wrote. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I said when I said it. I should have known better and I regret it.”
