Ron MacLean apologizes for comments, claims he was misunderstood

In case you missed it earlier today, longtime Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean came under fire for making comments that some viewers deemed to be "homophobic" during a segment on last night's coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

When speaking on-air with analyst Kevin Bieksa, and frankly the two were joking back and forth, MacLean made a comment about Bieksa testing "positive for something" when it was revealed that Bieksa had a photo of a shirtless man back in behind him. Outraged fans online jumped to the conclusion that MacLean was somehow calling Bieksa a homosexual for that joke...? I don't know, to be quite honest. It's a bit perplexing...

In any case, despite calls for MacLean to be fired for his "homophobic" comments, the CBC basically dismissed these calls earlier today. Now, MacLean has issued a statement and clarified his joke. In essence, the joke was made that you'd have to test positive for something (alcohol) in order to take you "tarp" (shirt) off at a party. MacLean was making a harmless drinking buddy joke that obviously didn't land as intended.

Check out MacLean's full explanation below:

Get it? 

Bad joke, but certainly not a homophobic joke. Just a bit clunky. No harm, no foul.

The entire fiasco though points at a much larger problem and that is just how quickly people jump to the worst possible intention whenever there's a miscommunication. You really think Ron MacLean, a veteran of nearly 40 years of broadcasting, is going to end his career with a stupid 'gay joke' on Hockey Night in Canada? Give your head a shake. This guy knows what he's doing. In fact, I would argue that the falling out he had with Don Cherry two years ago proves that MacLean knows exactly what he's doing and has the ability to play the media game better than just about anyone else.

You don't have to be a huge Ron MacLean fan, but you should at least respect the fact that the guy is an absolute professional who knows exactly what he's doing. He's had more air-time than just about anyone else in the hockey world and he chooses his words very carefully. On to the next crisis!