NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne has apologized for comments he made on Twitter after seeing a mother breastfeeding in a supermarket.
Kahne’s initial tweet stated, "Just walking though supermarket. See a mom breast feeding little kid. Took second look because obviously I was seeing things. I wasn't!"
He then went on to tweet that, “I don’t feel like shopping anymore or eating,” using the hashtag “nasty.”
One upset mother, who goes by the Twitter name of @KnittingRad, responded, “Wow, you’re kind of a douchebag, where would you propose that baby eat, the restroom? Would you eat in the restroom?”
Kahne tweeted back, calling her a “dumb bitch.”
The tweets, which he deleted, were followed by an apology made on his Facebook page, where Kahne said, "I understand that my comments regarding breastfeeding posted on Twitter were offensive to some people. For that, I apologize. It was in no way my intention to offend any mother who chooses to breastfeed her child, or, for that matter, anyone who supports breastfeeding children. I want to make that clear.
"In all honestly, I was surprised by what I saw in a grocery store," Kahne said in his apology. "I shared that reaction with my fans on Twitter. It obviously wasn't the correct approach, and, after reading your feedback, I now have a better understanding of why my posts upset some of you.
"My comments were not directed at the mother's right to breastfeed. They were just a reaction to the location of that choice, and the fashion in which it was executed on that occasion. I respect the mother's right to feed her child whenever and wherever she pleases."
He also posted an apology via Twitter to the offended party, saying, “I wanted to apologize for saying what I said to you yesterday. It was out of line."
Kahne’s NASCAR team, Hendrick Motorsports, made a brief statement, saying, “We appreciate that he chose to follow up with his fans and others who were upset by the comments.”
NASCAR did not comment on the situation.
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And on the second day of 2012, he's now been fired. An almost unthinkable scenario just four months ago.
Kahne tweeted to his 100,000 followers "One boob put away one boob hanging!! #nasty"
