Robert Griffin III 'Bug-a-Boo': Washington Ex Apologizes for Offensive ESPN Mistake

Robert Griffin III, the former Washington QB who is making a name for himself now as an ESPN broadcaster, is now dealing with the pitfalls of live TV after having offered up an unfortunate on-camera miscue during this week's Monday Night Football pregame show.

The subject was Jalen Hurts, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, and how he has proven his doubters wrong. Griffin is saying he meant to say "bug-a-boos'' ... but errantly let slip a word that is a disparaging term for Black people.

On Tuesday, he issued an apology and clarified that he intended to say "bug-a-boos" but misspoke.

"Yooooo, Definitely need to clarify this. THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT TO SAY," Griffin tweeted. "Was trying to say “those Bug-A-Boos” in reference to haters and doubters. Regardless of my intention, I understand the historical context of the term that came out of my mouth and I apologize."

As a matter of word-usage precision, Griffin isn't/wouldn't have been actually utilizing the phrase "bug-a-boos'' properly, either, in terms of its widest understanding. A "bug-a-boo'' is a worry or a problem, and doesn't generally mean a person.

BELOW: NSFW CLIP ...

Yooooo, Definitely need to clarify this. THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT TO SAY. Was trying to say “those Bug-A-Boos” in reference to haters and doubters. Regardless of my intention, I understand the historical context of the term that came out of my mouth and I apologize. https://t.co/Dy4vVuigin pic.twitter.com/DL0lqcz0jK
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 13, 2022

Either way, RGIII - who is in his second season as an analyst for ESPN, where he takes a lot of verbal risks on live television and written risks on Twitter with bold and what some might consider incendiary takes - is obviously doing the right thing by apologizing ...

And a reasonable person would likely assume that while he stumbled with the "bug-a-boo'' reference, he surely meant no offense by accidentally using a similar-sounding phrase.

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