CBS analyst Doug Gottlieb got coverage of the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16 off to an awkward start, saying he was there to bring the “white man’s perspective” to the network’s pregame show.
Speaking on a panel with four African-American men, Gottlieb made his comment Thursday during a pre-game segment before Marquette beat Miami, sparking criticism on Twitter that his words were inappropriate.
“I don’t know why you guys ask me, I’m just here to bring diversity to this set, give kind of the white man’s perspective,” he said during the show.
Fellow analyst Greg Anthony made a face after Gottlieb’s remark and Kenny Smith said he had “jumped right into it.”
Gottlieb was still on set Thursday night and unavailable for comment, but issued a statement through CBS.
“It was not a smart thing to say and I apologize,” he said.
Fellow analyst Charles Barkley stood by Gottlieb on the broadcast during a break in the games later in the night.
“I know this has nothing to do with the game; I want to say something about Doug Gottlieb,” Barkley said. “He made a joke earlier tonight and people are going crazy. All those idiots on Twitter, which I would never ever do, all you people at home who’ve got no life and are talking bad about Doug Gottlieb, get a life. It’s over with. It’s no big deal.”