Geraldo Rivera Tells Trayvon Martin’s Parents, ‘I Am Sorry,’ Over Hoodie Comment
April 2 2012, Published 4:00 a.m. ET
Geraldo Rivera apologized to Trayvon Martin’s parents Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton on Geraldo at Large Sunday night after he said "the hoodie is as much responsible" in the boy’s fatal February 26 shooting at the hands of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who though the teen was up to no good.
"Please -- this is the first time I've spoken to you -- accept my condolences for your awful loss," he said, to which they thanked him.
Rivera explained his rationale behind the controversial hoodie comment he made on the March 23 broadcast of Fox & Friends.
"What I was trying to do was caution parents that allowing kids to wear hoodies or similar clothing in certain circumstances, particularly if they were minority young men, could be dangerous," Rivera explained. "But I never intended to hurt anyone’s feelings and certainly Sybrina and Tracy, I never intended to hurt your feelings.
“I want to personally convey my deepest apologies to both of you. I am sorry, Tracy, if anything I said added to your misery.”
Watch the video on RadarOnline.com
Both parents thanked him, then Trayvon’s father defended his son’s choice of garment.
“Your apology is accepted," Martin said. "Let me just add one thing with the wearing of the hoodie: I don’t think America knows that, in fact, at the time of the incident when he initially made the call, it was raining. So Trayvon had every right to have on his hood. He was protecting himself from the rain.
“So if being suspicious, walking in the rain with your hoodie on is a crime, then I guess the world is doing something wrong,” Tracy poignantly said.
Stay with RadarOnline.com for more on this ongoing story.
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