Cincinnati Reds president Phil Castellini issues apology after radio comments
Phil Castellini, Cincinnati Reds president and COO, issued an apology Tuesday night after he scoffed at fan criticism during interviews before the team’s home opener.
“I apologize to Reds fans and regret the comments that I made earlier today,” Castellini said in a statement. “We love this city, we love this team, and we love our fans. I understand how our fans feel and I am sorry.”
Castellini, son of Reds owner Bob Castellini, was asked in a pregame 700-WLW radio interview about why fans should remain loyal after the organization lowered player payroll during the offseason. The Reds haven’t won a playoff series since 1995 and have only five winning seasons since Castellini’s ownership group bought the team in 2006.
"Well, where are you going to go?" he said. "Sell the team to who? That's the other thing: You want to have this debate? .... What would you do with this team to have it more profitable, make more money, compete more in the current economic system that this game exist? It would be to pick it up and move it somewhere else.
"Be careful what you ask for."
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Some fans have called for Bob Castellini to sell his ownership stake in the team. Phil Castellini was interviewed by WLWT-TV after his viral radio comments, but he didn’t backtrack.
“The answer is are you going to abandon being a Reds fan? Are you going to abandon following this team?" Castellini told WLWT's Brandon Saho. "We haven’t abandoned it. We haven’t abandoned investing in the team and the community. The point is how about everybody just settle down, celebrate and cheer for the team. You can hate on us all you want. We’re not going anywhere. We haven’t abandoned our commitment to winning and investing in this franchise and in this community.
"The point is, stay tuned and be a fan. Celebrate these guys and look at what they did in Atlanta and come out here and celebrate that today. Whatever message was heard, what I mean is stay loyal to your team and the players that give you 110% effort.”
Before Opening Day, I asked Reds President and COO Phil Castellini about his message to the fans after his radio comments went viral. Here’s his response. @WLWT #Reds pic.twitter.com/cukIIopmSv
— Brandon Saho (@BrandonSaho) April 12, 2022
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Phil Castellini, Reds president, issues apology after fan comments
