Sports announcer who said 'cotton-picking mind' is out of his job
This year’s frenetic news cycles and hyper politically correct world has given birth to an all-too-familiar cycle.
Person X says something mildly controversial. Person X riles up a certain sect of people who are just a tad bit too sensitive to the topic. Person X seeks some sort of punishment or slap on the wrist. Seeing “justice” served, the rest of the world moves on to the next manufactured controversy.
Rinse, lather, repeat ad nauseam.
Unfortunately for Oklahoma City Thunder play-by-play announcer Brian Davis, he found himself in that exact cycle toward the end of the NBA regular season.
Davis was calling a fairly meaningless game between the Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies in the regular season finale. Despite the game not meaning a ton in the grand scheme of things, Thunder star Russell Westbrook was playing with his typical maniacal competitiveness.
“Russell Westbrook is out of his cotton-picking mind!” Davis exclaimed during the course of the game.
Unsurprisingly, Davis sparked an internet firestorm with his use of the phrase “cotton-picking mind.”
There were those who felt the phrase is linked to slavery, and thus a racist term. There were others who felt that the phrase is just an old jab at all farmers, regardless of race.
And, of course, there were those who felt that it’s nothing more than an unassuming figure of speech that has no literal significance.
The merits of the phrase are obviously up for debate, but it was enough for Davis to be suspended for the Thunder’s first playoff game.
For his part, Davis seemed genuinely contrite and offered his deepest apologies via statement. Davis even went so far as to call the punishment “appropriate.”
Now, that’s where the story is supposed to end. Davis, who has been calling Thunder games for a decade, resumed his duties and that was that.
According to NewsOK, the Thunder brass informed Davis that his contract would not be renewed.
Thunder won't renew contract of announcer Brian Davis https://t.co/iD6OqW8pY7 pic.twitter.com/7P1EMQm8ll
— Oklahoma Newswire (@OKnewswire) June 15, 2018
“We greatly appreciate Brian’s contributions to the Thunder organization over the past 10 years and we wish him well in the future,” the team statement said.
In fairness to the Thunder, there is no indication that Davis’ release had anything to do with his “cotton-picking” comment. Perhaps they simply felt that 10 years of service was enough.
But between Davis’ release and prior suspension, it still seems like an unceremonious way for a long-tenured employee to be let go. Adding fire to the speculation were the comments Thunder vice president of broadcasting Dan Mahoney made in the immediate aftermath of the original controversy.
“We think obviously the use of (cotton-picking mind) was offensive and inappropriate,” Mahoney said at the time. That’s a strong stance to take against Davis, doubly so considering it was one of his superiors.
It also didn’t help that Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook, the face of the franchise and unquestionably the most valued player on the team, came out against Davis.
“What (Davis) said wasn’t OK,” Westbrook said in the aftermath of the original incident.
Davis became well-known among Thunder fans for such phrases as “Thunder on the high side” after the team would take a lead or “made chicken salad out of chicken something else” when a Thunder player would turn a bad situation into a positive play.
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