Story highlights ESPN comes under fire for fantasy football auction involving black players

"We understand the optics could be portrayed as offensive, and we apologize," ESPN says

(CNN) ESPN apologized on Tuesday for a fantasy football segment of an auction draft where black players were sold to mostly white male bidders.

"Auction drafts are a common part of fantasy football, and ESPN's segments replicated an auction draft with a diverse slate of top professional football players," the network statement said.

"Without that context, we understand the optics could be portrayed as offensive, and we apologize."

On social media, reaction to the segment that was part of the 28-hour fantasy marathon was mixed, with many comparing the outdoor scene to a modern-day slave auction.

New York journalist Shaun King tweeted video of the auction with the message, "Apologize now for doing a sketch where you auctioned a black man off to the highest bidder."

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