Ryan Garcia has apologized for posting a series of racial slurs and profanities on social media and revealed he now plans to check into rehab after months of concerns about his mental health on social media.
Earlier this week, the embattled boxer uttered the word n and mentioned both the KKK and George Floyd in an Instagram audio that went viral online.
As a result, the WBC issued a ban for Garcia that was even backed by the 25-year-old’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, although it is unclear what the terms of his ban are.
Garcia had previously been suspended from boxing for a year after testing positive for PEDs following his fight against Devin Hanley.
He shared in an Instagram post on Friday: ‘I grew up in a neighborhood where everyone said that word that I’m now removing from my vocabulary.
Ryan Garcia has taken steps to improve his mental health after causing concern on social media
The troubled boxer shared a lengthy post on Instagram in which he is adamant that he is not racist.
“I have supported many black men and communities. I am not angry about the outrage and I sincerely apologize if I hurt or offended anyone.
“But my pain deserves to be felt, black and brown people always have been. And it always will be that way.
“I’m a little bit more clear-headed than you, but I love you and I love black children to the point where I would die for a black child. I was actually speaking out against crimes committed between blacks. (Again) I’m sorry.”
In a comment below her post, Garcia added: “I’m heading to rehab too.”
Over the past few months, Garcia’s social media activity has often shown him behaving erratically online.
But after his win against Haney (and before he tested positive for PEDs), it seemed entirely possible that Garcia was simply putting on a performance so his opponent could underestimate him.
In her Instagram post, Garcia also shared a statement insisting she is not racist and saying things were taken out of context.
“Let me make this clear: I have actually supported black communities,” he wrote.
“I’ve gotten racist criticism from Tim Bradley when he called me a zoo animal on ESPN. And I turned the other cheek, but I’m racist (because) everyone was drunk and saying shit that people say all the time, including black men.
“If a word bothers you, it means you are too sensitive. God knows my heart and how I would protect black children until the day I die. I was speaking out against black-on-black crime. They took everything out of context. Even the (Muslim) part where I spoke out against pedo activity in all (religions) and that I don’t tolerate that.”
