clarinews@clarinet.com (01/18/90)
SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) -- Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen apologized Wednesday for using the word ``Chinaman'' in referring to San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice. Bowlen said in a statement issued in Denver that the comments were ``obviously made in jest and were an attempt to speak facetiously.'' A San Francisco group, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Tuesday called Bowlen's remarks ``derogatory'' and demanded an apology. The group, in a letter, also asked NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to fine the owner for his ``rude and racist'' remark. Bowlen, whose team plays the 49ers in the Super Bowl at New Orleans Jan. 28, said he was poking fun at Rice's name when he told reporters at the Denver training complex Monday: ``They've (the 49ers) got a God for a quarterback. They've got a Chinaman for a wide receiver whose feet don't even touch the ground.'' Bowlen said the comments ``never were intended to be any kind of insult or in any way offensive to any group or individual, especially not to anyone of Chinese extraction. ``If anyone from Chinese for Affirmative Action would like to discuss this matter with me, I invite an appropriate representative to call me at the Denver Broncos offices.'' He added, ``I never intended these comments to be taken in an offensive manner.'' After Bowlen made the comments to the media, he was asked what he meant by them. ``That Chinese guy,'' he replied. ``What's his name? Rice.'' Robin Wu, a spokeswoman for Chinese for Affirmative Action, said: ``The term `Chinaman' is an extremely derogatory term to the Asian community. ``Mr. Bowlen's use of this word is offensive and insulting and we have demanded that he issue an apology to Asian community leaders.''