Geraldo Rivera has found room in his mouth for his other foot in the controversy over his comments about slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.
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In an email to Politico, Rivera delivered an apology marinated in sarcasm, saying he was sorry if his comments offended anybody — but he stands by them nonetheless.
“I apologize to anyone offended by what one prominent black conservative called my ‘very practical and potentially life-saving campaign urging black and Hispanic parents not to let their children go around wearing hoodies,’” Rivera wrote, referring to an article written by Thomas Sowell for the National Review.
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Rivera acknowledged that he obscured the main point that someone shot and killed an unarmed teenager with his sartorial comments. Then he ladled on another helping of sarcasm, saying that he was offering a sincere and heartfelt apology to those who were irked by his “crusade to warn minority families of the danger to their young sons inherent in gangsta style clothing; like hoodies.”
Rivera denied that he had blamed Martin for his own death — and asserted that he was "absolutely convinced" of the accuracy of his comments.
Rivera drew widespread criticism after he appeared on "Fox and Friends" last week and blamed Martin's death on the fact that he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt at the time he was shot.
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Contending that "hoodies" are generally associated with crime, Rivera said, “I am urging the parents of Black and Latino youngsters, particularly, to not let their children go out wearing hoodies."
Martin, 17, was fatally shot in Sanford, Fla., by Neighborhood Watch member George Zimmerman in February, after purchasing a pack of Skittles and an Arizona iced tea at a convenience store. Martin was unarmed.
News of Martin's death — and the fact that Zimmerman has not yet been charged in the death — ignited mass outrage, with multiple "Million Hoodie Marches" springing up across the country.
Rivera's comments, meanwhile, generated their own outrage, with Rivera admitting that even his own son was "ashamed" of his comments.