Over the weekend, Toronto goalie Jonathan Bernier expressed embarrassment about an interview in which he called Nelson Mandela “a tremendous athlete,” adding “he’s definitely one of the athletes I watched growing up.”
At the time, video of the incident -- which occurred during the Toronto Raptors’ ”Giants of Africa” gala -- wasn’t available, as the NBA club quickly pulled the clip from the web.
But now... it’s available:
As mentioned above, Bernier expressed remorse about what transpired and apologized for the error.
“I’m embarrassed,” said Bernier, per the Toronto Star. “I didn’t mean to offend him, his legacy. I got flustered with the red carpet and I was nervous.
“I think everyone makes mistakes and that was me that night.”