Oakland outfielder Jose Canseco said racism was...

Oakland outfielder Jose Canseco said racism was not the reason the Athletics failed to offer him a big-money multiyear contract, and that his earlier remarks had been “blown out of proportion.”

“My comments were made about society in general,” Canseco said. “I never accused the A’s of racism. I never said that.”

Canseco spoke to reporters Friday about how racism may have played a role in the recent contracts signed by San Francisco’s Will Clark and Kevin Mitchell.

“To me, Will Clark can’t do anything wrong. He represents baseball, America and you know the rest,” Canseco said Friday. “Mitchell is black and I’m Latin. So we don’t (represent America). That definitely has something to do with it.”

Canseco signed a $2-million, one-year contract in February. Mitchell signed a one-year deal for just more than $2 million. The Giants gave Clark, who, like Canseco, was two years away from free agency, a four-year, $15-million deal.

“This seems to happen to me every time I give my opinion on anything, especially if it’s a touchy subject,” Canseco said. “But I feel I’m a superstar and that people want to know my thoughts about certain topics.”