Chris Bosio 'crushed' by Tigers firing, insists he did not direct slur toward employee

Bob Nightengale | USA TODAY

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Chris Bosio still can't grasp why he was sitting in his Detroit apartment Thursday afternoon instead of on the bench at Comerica Park, unable to accept his abrupt firing as the Detroit Tigers pitching coach.

One day, he’s making a joke by his cubicle in the Tigers’ coaches office, and two days later he’s fired, informed that he violated the team’s zero-tolerance policy, saying he “made insensitive remarks to a team employee.’’

“I’m crushed,’’ said Bosio, who plans to hire an attorney and determine whether a wrongful termination lawsuit will be filed. “I’m absolutely crushed. I still can’t believe it’s gotten to this point.

“I’m in shock.’’

Bosio revealed to USA TODAY Sports that he was fired for using the word “monkey" in a conversation that was overheard by - but not involving - an African-American clubhouse attendant.

Bosio insists he was not using the word in a racial and disparaging context, and that it was not directed toward the clubhouse attendant. He says he referring to injured pitcher Daniel Stumpf, a white pitcher from Humble, Texas.

“Someone in our coaches’ room asked me (Monday afternoon) about Stumpf,’’ Bosio said. “And I said, “Oh, you mean, 'Spider Monkey.' That’s his nickname. He’s a skinny little white kid who makes all of these funny faces when he works out.

“The kid thought we were talking about him. He got all upset. He assumed we were talking about him. I said, “No, no, no. We’re talking about Stumpf.’

“And that was it. I swear on my mom and dad’s graves, there was nothing else to it.’’

Stumpf told the Detroit Free Press on Thursday night that he was not aware of the nickname.

"Spider Monkey is not a nickname I have been called or I'm familiar with," he told the newspaper.

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Bosio said that he was questioned about the incident Tuesday afternoon in a private meeting with Tigers GM Al Avila, assistant GM and general counsel John Westhoff, and manager Ron Gardenhire. They asked him point-blank if he used the derogatory word.

“I didn’t deny it,’’ Bosio said. “But it was directed at Stumpf, and the face he makes when he lifts weights. That’s it.’’

Bosio, in the first year of a two-year contract, showed up to work Wednesday, was summoned into a conference room and fired.

“Al said, we got all of our information, and we’re firing you because of your insensitive comments,’’ Bosio said. “I said, “Comments? There was one comment. And it wasn’t even directed at the kid.’

“Al said, “We and Major League Baseball have a zero-tolerance policy. I said, “Al, I don’t have any issues with anybody. I didn’t cross the line. I’m really sorry, but that’s not my intent. I can’t believe this.

“My God.’ ’’

Avila, when reached during the Tigers’ game Thursday against the Oakland A’s, declined to discuss specifics of the firing.

“We know what we did, and why we did it, and we’ll see where it goes from there,’’ Avila said. “The action we took was appropriate. There were things involved. But I can’t comment any further.’’

The Tigers, Bosio said, have yet to inform him whether they will pay the remainder of his contract.

Bosio, 54, who pitched 11 years in the big leagues, and spent the last six years as the Chicago Cubs’ pitching coach - a period in which they won the World Series and reached the NLCS three times - is widely regarded as one of the game’s finest pitching coaches. He realizes he’ll never get his job back with the Tigers, but still wants to be a pitching coach.

“I’ve got protect myself someway,’’ Bosio says, “because this is damaging as hell to me. I’ve got to fight for myself. Everyone knows this is not me. I didn’t use any profanity. There was no vulgarity. The N-word wasn’t used. No racial anything. It was a comment, and a nickname we used for a player.

“This kid and I had a great relationship. This kid played jokes on me all spring, and I told him, “Now you’re offended, because you heard the word “monkey, or spider monkey,’’ and it's not even directed at you.’’

“We crack fat jokes on our trainer everyday. All kinds of things are said in a baseball clubhouse. And for this to happen to me?

“I don’t know what else to say, but I know I don’t deserve this.’’

Follow Nightengale on Twitter @BNightengale