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Bobby Bowden won’t apologize for his joke about athletes with absent fathers

Bobby Bowden coaches Florida State in 2009.
(Phil Coale / Associated Press)
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Bobby Bowden made a joke Wednesday morning. Some people probably won’t find it too funny.

The 87-year-old former Florida State football coach was discussing the later years of his tenure with the Seminoles, which ran from 1976 through 2009, on ESPN radio’s “Mike & Mike” when he went off on a bit of a tagent about single-parent households.

"During my last days at Florida State, 65% to 70% of my boys did not have a daddy at home," Bowden said. “They were reaised by their mamas, them sweet ol’ mamas. Thank God for them mamas, or grandmama. Many times it was grandmama. Or big sister. Or aunt.

“But where’s the man? A boy needs a male figure — and the girls do, too — somebody to discipline them and make them a man.”

Then came the attempt at humor.

“I used to kid about this — they grew up wanting to be like their mama,” Bowden continued with a laugh. “They want to be a man like their mama, that’s the way they were raised. That’s why they wear earrings.”

Bowden quickly added, “I’m kidding about that.”

Later in the day on ESPN’s “Russillo & Kanell,” Bowden passed when offered a chance to clarify his comments.

“I was just telling my favorite joke," Bowden said, "and they take it seriously."

He added that anyone upset about what he said must not have seen it in context.

"They don’t print everything you said," Bowden said. "They didn’t hear me say, ‘Thank God for these sweet mothers.’ And they didn’t hear me say, ‘I was kidding.’ So they won’t get any apology from me, I can tell you that.”

Last month, another former coach, the NBA’s George Karl, attributed part of what he considered to be negative behavior by players Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin to them having “all that money and no father to show them how to act like a man.”

charles.schilken@latimes.com

Twitter: @chewkiii



UPDATES:

12:50 p.m.: This article has been updated with Bowden’s comments on the “Russillo & Kanell” show.

This article was originally published at 10 a.m.

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