Controversial U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe roared the word, “motherfucker!” on live television while addressing a crowd attending a World Cup championship parade in New York City on Wednesday.
The U.S. women’s national soccer team won the World Cup on Sunday by defeating the Netherlands 2-0. Rapinoe, 34, took home the Golden Ball, an award given to the tournament’s best player.
Her New York City outburst prompted a visibly perturbed Craig Melvin to apologize on behalf of his network, MSNBC.
“Well, we certainly want to apologize for the language at the end there,” the MSNBC anchor said. “But that is Megan Rapinoe speaking in New York City right now to the tens of thousands of fans who have assembled to celebrate that World Cup championship.”
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Rapinoe, who has described herself as a “walking protest,” has become a divisive figure of late: beloved by liberals who welcome her championing of progressive causes and denounced by conservatives who view her as unpatriotic.
Megan Rapinoe, partisan firebrand?
The former University of Portland standout’s political statements off the field – blasting President Donald Trump’s administration, protesting during the national anthem, advocating for “equal pay” in women’s sports and cozying up to congressional Democrats – have drawn as much attention as her stellar athletic performances.
During a Tuesday evening appearance on CNN, Rapinoe addressed the president directly, accusing him of “excluding people of color.”
“Your message is excluding people. You’re excluding me. You’re excluding people that look like me. You’re excluding people of color. You’re excluding… Americans that maybe support you,” she said.
“You have an incredible responsibility as the chief of this country to take care of every single person, and you need to do better for everyone,” Rapinoe added.