Major League Baseball

Boomer Esiason apologizes for 'insensitive' remarks on Met's paternity leave

Published Apr. 4, 2014 11:58 p.m. ET

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Calling his remarks "flippant" and "insensitive," Boomer Esiason apologized to New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy and his wife for suggesting they should have scheduled to have their child via Caesarean birth rather than cause Murphy to miss games.

After Murphy took off the first two games of the season to be with his wife for the birth of their son, Esiason said on his New York sports radio show on Wednesday that Murphy should have told his wife to get a "C-section before the season starts. I need to be there opening day."

On Friday, the former NFL quarterback said on the air (via CBS New York): "I was not telling women what to do with their bodies. I would never do that. That's their decision, that's their life and they know their bodies better than I do. And the other thing, too, that I really felt bad about is that Daniel Murphy and Tori Murphy were dragged into the conversation, and their whole life was exposed. And it shouldn't have been. And that is my fault. ... It all of a sudden put their lives under a spotlight, and for that I truly apologize."

Esiason had drawn plenty of fire for his original comments.

Esiason also acknowledged that he shouldn't have been so quick to suggest an early C-section because, as the folks at the March of Dimes told him, babies who go to full term are at much less risk for health problems.

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