Ryan Garcia apologizes for racist comments after WBC expulsion, says he's going to rehab
Ryan Garcia issued multiple apologies Friday for his litany of racist comments, which caused him to get quickly expelled from the World Boxing Council at a time when he was already suspended from boxing for a year due to a banned substance.
The 25-year-old incited outrage Thursday by saying, among many other things, "I hate n*****s ... Hey, let’s go bring George Floyd back to life and kill that n***** again" on an X space. The backlash that followed included Garcia's own parents, who released a statement disavowing his comments and saying he needs help with mental health.
Garcia himself ruled out any idea of apologizing that day, but his tune changed overnight. The perpetually online boxer began by saying he would "take all responsibility for my words" before mentioning his own trauma, substance abuse issues, issues with Black-on-Black crime and opposition to pedophilia.
I take all responsibility for my words
I’m misunderstood, I just got a lot of trauma
And It’s been a tough couple of months as everyone can tell but I AM SORRY
I struggle with substance abuse and it hard for me with everything going on
I actually love black people no cap…— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) July 5, 2024
That was only the start of a tweet-storm from Garcia. Over the course of less than two hours, he posted 19 tweets totaling 693 words, with lines such as "I’m expelled like if I went to the principals office hahaha" and "In the hood everyone has said the N word."
Garcia said he intends to go to rehab soon, saying he was under the influence of drugs at the time of his comments.
Rehab about to be awesome
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) July 5, 2024
He also went live on an X space to further apologize and explain himself, which wound up being more revealing than anything he wrote.
What a 20-minute apology sounds like from Ryan Garcia
The 20-minute monologue, interspersed with encouragement from his entourage, saw Garcia continue to rail about pedophiles, indicate that people like Candace Owens convinced him George Floyd actually died of a drug overdose and compare the context of his comments to a Call of Duty group chat.
The whole thing was a mess, with Garcia mentioning some of his friends encouraged him into saying something offensive:
"I hit the switch and it wasn't good. Some of my homies were hyping me up, telling me 'Say that word, say that word bro, you've got the pass' ... I'm not going to say they forced me. I ain't going to say none of that, I'm just saying they were pushing it too."
And Garcia pledging to stop identifying people by race rather than by name:
"I've got to start naming people by their names, bro. It ain't about if you're Mexican, Black, white, brown. It's just like, I'm going to name you by name. You're my friend Lawrence, you're not Black, you're Lawrence. And if he wants to say ’I'm Black,‘ you're Black. I just want everybody to be happy."
And Garcia mentioning he had lost several sponsors, which he said he deserved:
"I'm expelled from boxing, as I should be, for my comments. I don't get to box again, I lost a lot of sponsorships. Trust me, what I said is not going good for me, but I deserve it."
The ending might have been the most revealing, though, when it comes to Garcia's toxic relationship with social media, where he posts constantly and with increasing instability. As Garcia continued to talk about the damage he had inflicted on his own career through social media, one of his cronies encouraged him to ... vlog his rehab.
Garcia replied by saying he didn't think rehab centers would let him have his phone, at which point the person made his case:
"I'm sure there are some [rehab centers] out there that will let you. Post it on YouTube, make some money, get better, do better and strive for being a better version of yourself, and make some money while you do it"
Thankfully, Garcia said he didn't want to do that. He then revealed that this episode has caused many members of his family to cut him off, including his brother, Sean:
"At this point, I ain't even really worried about the money, I'm just worried about getting better. I'm really hurting my family and everyone around me. They're freaking out, everybody's freaking out, bro. My parents — none of what I said reflects any of what my family thinks. They're all mad at me, they're not talking to me at all. It is what it is. I can't even go to my brother's fight. He doesn't want me to go."
Garcia has seen no shortage of turbulence this year, though much of it has been self-inflicted. In addition to his expulsion and suspension, he's going through a divorce, facing a defamation lawsuit from Logan Paul's energy drink company and been arrested in Beverly Hills for vandalizing a hotel.
His behavior, which was unstable even in better times, has grown increasingly erratic since the Devin Haney fight that saw him lose a $1.5 million bet over making weight, then win, then lose that win after testing positive for a banned substance his legal team claimed was caused by a tainted supplement.
It is very clear that Garcia is not well. It shouldn't excuse his comments, but the entirety of his recent actions indicates he needs professional help. He says he will get that help, but just as important might be whom he ultimately chooses to support him once he's done.
