Knepper Apologizes for Remark About Women’s Group

Bob Knepper of the Houston Astros apologized Saturday for what he termed a “careless and insensitive” statement about the National Organization for Women.

“Because of my earlier experience with NOW in spring training, it’s not easy to apologize, but I know that I was wrong,” Knepper said at a news conference in Atlanta before Saturday’s game against the Braves.

Knepper had drawn the ire of NOW for referring to the organization as “blowhards and lesbians” in an article published in Sports Illustrated.

“The statements I made I felt were really poor,” Knepper said. “Even though I made the statements in a joking manner, the statements were careless and insensitive.

“The comments I made were wrong because I know very little about the women in NOW. I feel that there’s probably some very strong moral, upright women that believe very strongly in what they are doing in NOW.”

Knepper’s first controversial comments about women were made on March 14 after umpire Pam Postema worked home plate in a spring training game. He said Postema did a good job but added, “This is not an occupation a woman should be in. In God’s society, women were created in a role of submission to the husband. It’s not that women are inferior, but I don’t believe women should be in a leadership role.”