CNN’s Martin sort-of apologizes for anti-gay Super Bowl tweets

CNN commentator Roland Martin has responded via Twitter about comments he made on Super Bowl Sunday that triggered a Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation complaint.

GLAAD called for Martin’s firing from CNN after Martin tweeted about a Super Bowl ad from H&M that featured David Beckham in less than his soccer uniform. Martin said, “If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!”

GLAAD, after a series of exchanges with Martin, issued a statement, “Martin has a history of anti-LGBT views. GLAAD is calling on him to be fired, joining many other LGBT activists and bloggers.”

Martin has since tweeted his explanation:

“Fam, let me address the issue that some in the LGBT community have raised regarding some of my Super Bowl tweets yesterday.

I made several cracks about soccer as I do all the time. I was not referring to sexuality directly or indirectly regarding the David Beckham

ad, and I’m sorry folks took it otherwise. It was meant to be a deliberately over the top and sarcastic crack about soccer; I do not

advocate violence of any kind against anyone gay, or not. As anyone who follows me on Twitter knows, anytime soccer comes up during football

season it’s another chance for me to take a playful shot at soccer, nothing more.”