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NBA player Patrick Patterson is facing the heat (and rightfully so) after disparaging comments in reference to Black women came to the surface.

It began after the 30-year-old power forward posted a photo of his wife Sarah who is white, wishing her a happy anniversary. The two married in August 2019.

In response to the photo, an Instagram user slid into Patterson’s comment section to insinuate that had it not been for the NBA, Patterson wouldn’t have access to white women. The critic also mentioned that prior to marrying his wife, Patterson dated Black women and worked in a Toronto Walmart.

“So I should settle for a bulldog and act like I’m happy with my life and preach “keep it in your race” to the world as if Dr. King didn’t fight/die for equality, acceptance, all cultures loving one another, and no hate?” Patterson wrote in response. “No thanks. That maybe your life but I don’t want that for mine or for my family. Color doesn’t matter. Wake up.”

Patterson has since posted a lengthy statement on his Instagram account explaining that he was triggered by the person’s commentary regarding his wife. Though it does absolutely nothing to explain why he felt the need to insult Black women as a whole by comparing them to an animal, he felt this sufficed as an apology.

“I want to address my use of the word ‘bulldog’ during a conversation with someone who I felt was making disrespectful remarks about my wife and our relationship, I responded with the same, making a cruel comment on his wife’s physical stature,” wrote Patterson. “I know that two wrongs don’t make a right, but I let my emotions get the best of me in the heat of the moment. For that I apologize to him, his wife, and the rest of his family for the hurtful and crude comments made on that day.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5QtawVlaxx/

He continued, “As I did in the rest of the conversation thread multiple times, I will clarify again that I was not using the term as a reference to black women. That is not at all how I feel, but I do not need to justify to the world that I love my black people. I have no animosity or bitterness towards any race. I believe in love and equality.”

Of course there were several conversations going on regarding Patterson’s stance and the overall epidemic of Black men who routinely take an opportunity to bash Black women and comment on their “lack” of attractiveness because they’ve been swayed by European beauty standards.

We agree that love is love and those who choose to exist in an interracial relationship have every God-given right to do so, but these moments make Black women sigh and take pause.

If you don’t want to be with Black women, trust we don’t need a deep dive on your thought process to understand why. Just take your internalized misogynoir and go.

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