ESPN reporter Dari Nowkhah has apologized for an unfortunate moment following LSU‘s blowout win over Oklahoma in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday, December 28. Nowkhah was interviewing Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow, who posted record-breaking numbers in the win, when he asked a question about the death of sports reporter Carley McCord, the daughter-in-law of LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger.
Unfortunately, Burrow had not yet learned about McCord’s passing, so Nowkhah was the one who broke the news to him on live television. He was visibly stunned by the news.
McCord was one of five people who died when a private plane crashed on its way to the game in Atlanta.
Following the awkward on-air moment, Nowkhah took to social media to issue an apology for the way that he and the ESPN broadcast handled things in the aftermath of the game.
Damn. Burrow found out live on air about the plane crash. They didn't tell the team. pic.twitter.com/EhtEgT3XIV
— Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) December 29, 2019
“There’s understandably so much sensitivity surrounding yesterday‘s tragedy involving the LSU family. I’m so sorry for the way we handled the end of our postgame interview with Joe Burrow last night,” Nowkhah wrote in an apology on Twitter. “I obviously feel horrible to have been the one to have broken the news of Carley McCord’s passing to Joe, and have shared my apologies and sincere condolences with LSU.
“Our live interview with Joe was several hours after the news broke & was a major storyline of last night’s game. With that said, we shouldn’t have assumed he was aware, and that’s on us. We never intended to hurt Joe & we will learn from this mistake. My heart goes out to the McCord & Ensminger families, and the entire LSU family, during this incredibly tragic time. I hope they, including LSU fans, will accept this apology.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0JTVhxnehd/
McCord graduated from Northwestern State University and Louisiana State University and was a promising sports journalist who covered the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans. She was married to Ensminger’s son.
The cause of the plane crash remains unknown.
