A remark Tuesday by sports talk-show host Anita Marks has offended some blacks.
Marks, on ESPN Radio, 1300 AM, referred to Shawne Merriman, a San Diego Chargers linebacker who is under suspension for steroid use, as a "juice monkey."
"It's inappropriate," said Rob Long, a black host on a competing sports station, WNST, 1570 AM, who received several calls about the remark. "It was careless, and I think she should apologize."
Marks, a former professional football player, did not return two calls seeking comment, but apparently said on the air yesterday that she uses the remark to refer to steroid users regardless of their color.
In 1983, announcer Howard Cosell was widely criticized for calling Alvin Garrett, a black receiver for the Washington Redskins, a "monkey."
Nick Madigan