Indy Radio: Bob Lamey 'Retirement' Not His Choice

Bob Lamey

On Sunday, the long-time Indianapolis Colts announcer abruptly announced his retirement in a team news release. "It's time," he said.

That was far from the entire story, according to IndyStar.com.

Forty-eight hours later, through his lawyer, Lamey acknowledged that his use of "an inappropriate word" was actually what led to the abrupt and surprising end to his four-decade run in the radio booth.

Lamey's statement came in response to a report on WTHR.com that he had used a racial slur while retelling a story last week after a radio interview with Emmis Communications at Colts training camp. A complaint from an Emmis employee, WTHR.com reported, was made to the human resources department at the company, which then contacted the Colts.

Team COO Pete Ward released this statement to IndyStar on Wednesday:

"First and foremost, the Colts deplore and do not tolerate the use of any racial slur – in any context. While it’s our long-standing company policy not to make public comments on personnel matters, Bob publicly acknowledged that last week he repeated an inappropriate word when telling a story. He immediately apologized to the people who heard him use the word, and then promptly retired.

"Bob has a long and storied history in our community, but he made a serious mistake. We are deeply disappointed the incident took place and offer our sincerest regrets to all who were impacted by Bob’s lapse in judgement."

The original statement released by the Colts on Wednesday said Lamey "promptly resigned" but the team later said the correct word was "retired."

Upon the team's initial announcement of his retirement, Colts owner Jim Irsay wrote: "Bob Lamey is a legend and icon, and his name is synonymous with Indianapolis Colts football. With his historic calls, familiar sayings and passion for football, he became part of the fabric of this entire community. No one has been more ‘Indianapolis’ than Bob Lamey. Even more so, he was very much a part of our team family, and he’s as dear to us as anyone who has ever worn the Horseshoe.”