Bode Miller sorry for comment about skier’s marriage
Bode Miller didn’t need his skis to slip up during the Olympics.
The former U.S. gold medalist, who is working as a skiing analyst for NBC, apologized after comments during the giant slalom broadcast seemingly blamed a contestant’s performance on her recent marriage.
During Anna Veith’s first run, Miller explained that a torn ACL and patellar tendon in 2015 have made it hard for the Austrian to match her 2014 overall World Cup championship and gold and silver medals from Sochi in competition since. That was all well and good.
Then Miller went off course, saying that he wanted “to point out she also got married. And it’s historically very challenging to race on World Cup with a family or after being married. Not to blame the spouses, but I just want to toss that out there, that it could be her husband’s fault.’’
It wasn’t entirely clear from Miller’s tone that he was joking, though he certainly didn’t seem gravely serious either. The broadcast, with Dan Hicks, did get rather silent and awkward for several seconds. The five-time Olympic medalist, who married model Morgan Beck in 2012, quickly backtracked and clarified that he doesn’t believe having a spouse hinders an athletic career.
“I apologize,’’ Miller said on the air. “That was an ill-advised attempt at a joke. I was an athlete that competed after marriage and I know how beneficial it is. I know the support team you need. I relied on my friends and family. And if you have the luxury of relying on a spouse I know they are inevitably your biggest supporter. And on Valentine’s Day I didn’t mean to throw spouses under the bus. Certainly, I’m going to be hearing it from my wife, I know.’’
Veith finished 12th.
Miller also took his apology to Twitter.
To be clear I was not seriously blaming Anna Veith’s lack of results on her husband. It’s a changing of priorities that is historically hard, male or female.
— Bode Miller (@MillerBode) February 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/MillerBode/status/963959755231260672
