Orioles broadcaster Brian Roberts apologizes after on-air dig at Canadian fans

Brian Roberts, a former Baltimore Orioles infielder and current MASN broadcaster, apologized Sunday for a remark he made on the air that questioned the "baseball IQ of some Canadians" during Baltimore’s weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The comment came Saturday during the MASN telecast after Blue Jays fans at Rogers Centre loudly booed a pickoff attempt by Orioles pitcher Shawn Dubin in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Baltimore trailed 3-1. On the broadcast Roberts said, "I gotta be real, real careful what I say, but sometimes we had some major questions about the baseball IQ of some Canadians here and there. At times it felt like maybe they knew a little bit more about hockey than baseball."

On Sunday Roberts issued a public apology during the telecast, saying he did not intend to disrespect Toronto fans. "I do want to apologize to Toronto fans for something I said on the air the other day. Definitely never ever meant to cause anyone to feel like I was disrespecting them at all," he said. He added that he has always enjoyed coming to Toronto and playing there and asked that fans accept his "sincere apology."

Earlier Sunday, in a separate interview with the Toronto Star, Roberts offered a fuller explanation of his remark that stopped short of a full retraction. "It was not meant to be an insult," he told the newspaper, saying his comment reflected personal observations and generalities about Canadians' familiarity with hockey compared with baseball. "And those are all generalities and I don’t even know if they’re true or not," he said.

Roberts played 14 major league seasons, 13 with the Orioles, and was a two-time All-Star. He was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2018 and has been part of the club's broadcast team since retiring from playing. His responsibilities at MASN include in-game analysis and commentary during Orioles telecasts.

The remark and the ensuing apology drew attention amid a season in which fan behavior and on-air commentary have come under greater scrutiny. Roberts' apology Sunday was brief and personal, and he reiterated his enjoyment of playing and traveling to Toronto as he sought to close the matter.

No formal statement from the Blue Jays or Rogers Centre representatives was reported in connection with Roberts' comments as of Sunday evening.