Suspended Radio Host Apologizes for Comments on Andy Reid's Family
Suspended Kansas City radio host Kevin Kietzman apologized for comments he made earlier in the week about Chiefs coach Andy Reid's family.
"This is on me, I'm paid as a broadcaster to be concise in what I say," Kietzman said. "My words on Monday's show left open way too many interpretations, and I'm the only person responsible for that and the only person to blame. I'll learn from this mistake, and I'll work hard to do better, and I hope to one day regain the trust of Coach Reid and the Chiefs organization."
Kietzman also said that he tried to reach out to Reid on Wednesday to apologize but was told the coach was unavailable.
"I hope he will accept my apology, but I understand if I’m not completely forgiven," he added.
On Monday, Kietzman discussed Reid's family while criticizing the coach's handling of the Tyreek Hill situation. The WHB 810 host mentioned Reid's son Garrett, who died of a heroin overdose in 2012.
"Andy Reid does not have a great record of fixing players," Kietzman said on-air. "He doesn't. Discipline is not his thing. It did not work out particularly well in his family life, and that needs to be added to this, as we're talking about the Chiefs. He wasn't real great at that either. He's had a lot of things go bad on him, family and players."
Union Broadcasting released a statement on WHB 810's website on Tuesday to announce its decision to take Kietzman off the air until further notice.
"We are aware of the controversial comments made by Kevin Kietzman during yesterday’s broadcast of Between the Lines," the statement said. "We have decided to take the immediate step to take Kevin off the air until further notice as we review this matter. We take Kevin's comments and those of all on-air staff seriously. Kevin's comments were clearly not to his or our standards. Please know that we will take necessary appropriate actions. We sincerely apologize to Andy Reid and his family, the Kansas City Chiefs organization and our loyal listeners and share their concerns."
