On Tuesday night, Axios reporter Alexi McCammond tweeted out that former NBA star Charles Barkley told her that “I don’t hit women but if I did I would hit you.”
McCammond said Barkley’s comments came after she asked about clarification for which candidate he was supporting in the 2020 Democratic primary.
She says Barkley spoke glowingly about Deval Patrick, but then a member of Pete Buttigieg’s campaign approached the group. When Barkley then said he was a fan of Buttigieg, McCammond pointed out that he had just voiced his support for Patrick. He then made the comment to her.
McCammond also said the comments had been made off the record, an agreement she would normally respect were it not for the nature of those comments.
UPDATE: Barkley has apologized for the comment.
As many online pundits pointed out, Barkley has a troubling history of comments made about violence toward women. Most were couched as jokes, but it’s still a worrying thing that he hasn’t seemed to learn a lesson about this.
McCammond concluded by saying she didn’t like being a part of the story.
“It’s not about me or my feelings,” she tweeted. “But it’s about refusing to allow this culture to perpetuate because of silence on these issues. It’s easier and less awkward to be silent, but that helps NO ONE but the perpetrator.”
