Denver Post Fires Sports Writer Over Racially Charged Tweet About Indianapolis 500 Winner

DENVER (CBSNewYork) -- A sports writer tweeted Sunday that he was uncomfortable with a Japanese driver winning the Indianapolis 500 on Memorial Day weekend.

The Denver Post was clearly even more uncomfortable employing someone who would make such a remark.

The newspaper fired writer Terry Frei on Monday, a day after his racially charged tweeted stirred outrage on social media. Frei's comments came just after Takuma Sato won the Indianapolis 500.

Frei later deleted the tweet and apologized in a letter on Twitter, but it wasn't enough to save his job.

In the letter, he wrote: "I fouled up. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said when I said it. I should have known better and I regret it."

He also wrote that earlier Sunday he had visited the grave of his father, a World War II pilot.

"I am sorry, I made a mistake, and I understand 72 years have passed since the end of World War II," Frei added.

In a statement, the Denver Post said: "We apologize for the disrespectful and unacceptable tweet that was sent by one of our reporters. Terry Frei is no longer an employee of The Denver Post. It's our policy not to comment further on personnel issues.

"The tweet doesn't represent what we believe nor what we stand for. We hope you will accept our profound apologies."