Veitch apologises for Williams 'ape' comments

Tony Veitch. Picture / Nigel Marple

Radio Sport breakfast host Tony Veitch has been forced to apologise for remarks he made on air about United States tennis star Serena Williams.

Speaking to Fight For Life promoter and former Kiwis league player Dean Lonergan on Friday, Veitch said about the African-American Williams: "Do you know where the apes come from? She is a reminder."

That prompted condemnation from race relations conciliator Joris de Bres and action from Radio Network general manager talk programming Bill Francis who directed Veitch to make the apology, which he did at 7.10am today.

"During Friday's show in a banter and exchange with Dean Lonergan, I made some comments about Serena Willams," Veitch said.

"Those comments were unjustified and they were totally inappropriate.

"I regret making those comments, I am sorry and apologise unreservedly for the offence that they may have caused."

Francis confirmed he had asked Veitch to make the apology. "The apology has been made and the matter is now ended."

He would not say what other action might be taken. "We've made the apology. Everything else that happens in relation to this is internal so I won't be making comment other than that. Tony gets on with doing his job on breakfast."

Francis said the reason he directed Veitch to apologise had nothing to do with any potential impact on Radio Sport.

"It's got nothing to do with the impact. It was comments that shouldn't have been made and so we've rectified that by making an apology."

Francis said Veitch had not been making a racial slur. "They certainly weren't intended to be racist."

Mr de Bres said Veitch's comments did not "bear a lot of analysis in terms of his attitudes to what seems to be African women".

It is not the first time The Radio Network has been caught up in controversy over inappropriate racial comments.

Newstalk ZB host Paul Holmes was forced to make a public apology after calling United Nations head Kofi Annan a "cheeky darkie".

- NZPA