It's apparently OK to use 9/11 metaphors only if you're a war-hawk politician on the campaign trail. Dwyane Wade had to find out the hard way. The Miami Heat star has apologized after an off-the-cuff comment to the media this past weekend made it seem like he was comparing the possibility of a Heat losing streak next season to the destruction of the World Trade Center.
This weekend while attending his and Alonzo Mourning's Summer Groove event, Wade was talking to a small group of reporters when one asked him about what would happen if the freshly stocked Heat roster went on a losing streak.
"There's going to be times when we might lose one, two games in a row, maybe two games, three games in a row -- you never know. It's going to seem like the world has crashed down. You all are going to make it seem like the World Trade has just went down again. But it's not going to be nothing but a couple basketball games lost, and we'll have to get back on track," Wade replied.
Not exactly the best choice of simile, so Wade released a statement today clarifying the comment.
In an interview yesterday, I attempted to explain how some people may view the Miami Heat losing a few basketball games in a row during the upcoming season. It appears that my reference to the World Trade Center has been either inaccurately reported or taken completely out of context. I was simply trying to say that losing a few basketball games should not be compared to a real catastrophe.
While it was certainly not my intention, I sincerely apologize to anyone who found my reference to the World Trade Center to be insensitive or offensive.
The controvery was stoked by an erroneous report on AOL's sports site, Fan House, which misquotes Wade as having said, "If we lose a couple in a row this season, it will be like the World Trade [Center] is coming down again."
The Fan House story was taken down, and an editor's note apologizes for the error.
The misquote was picked up by some national outlets such as ESPN Radio before the correction was made.
