CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden apologized on Thursday in a prerecorded video for racially-charged language he used in a recording WBTV first reported last week.
"It doesn't matter who recorded or how many years ago it was recorded, today I want to apologize for that language," McFadden said in the video. "Held to a higher standard, that's the office of the sheriff. But you must understand that I am human and I am not perfect and I will make mistakes."
You can watch the full apology video up above.
He then went on to say interviews with former employees "will come" because they have the "luxury to talk openly and freely." By law, he added, he cannot speak "openly and freely."
In the recording he referenced, McFadden is heard using racially-charged language to talk about both Black and white executive staff. He is heard using the term "cracker" to talk about a white captain, and the n-word to describe former chief deputy Rodney Collins.
After that report, the NC Sheriffs Association issued a statement condemning the language, adding that the executive committee had voted to inquire further into McFadden's conduct. The organization represents all 100 sheriffs in North Carolina.