Steve Kerr found himself walking back his own words after a controversial response to recent events in Minnesota. However, a recent slip of the tongue sparked widespread backlash. Following recent protests in Minnesota, the 60-year-old aimed ICE, claiming they were not prioritizing violent criminals. Kerr later acknowledged that he had misspoken.

On Friday, before tip-off against the Detroit Pistons at Chase Center, Kerr addressed the matter. Speaking with OutKick, Kerr apologized. “I definitely misspoke, and I knew that ICE was arresting some criminals. I think I immediately regretted it because I knew that to be the case,” Steve Kerr clarified.

He added, “My point is that they’re also arresting people and detaining citizens and people who should not be being detained. The manner in which they’re doing it, as you see, is riling everybody up all over the country.”

At the same time, Steve Kerr admitted that the four days he and his team spent in Minneapolis were deeply emotional and jarring. “Being in Minneapolis for those four days was incredibly emotional and powerful, and it was a very difficult time for all of us. So yeah, at the end of those four days, pretty emotional time.”

He further doubled down on his apology and added, “I misspoke, and so I apologize for the misinformation. So I hope everybody else out there who’s saying stuff that’s not true, please apologize too.”

Kerr’s original comments quickly drew sharp scrutiny.

Steve Kerr’s comments on the Minneapolis shooting incidents

On January 7, news broke that Minneapolis native Nicole Renee Good had been shot by a U.S. ICE officer, Jonathan Ross. The incident deeply disturbed Kerr. He didn’t wait for facts or investigation.

Instead, the Warriors HC said, “It’s shameful… we can have law enforcement officers who commit m—– and seemingly get away with it.” He added, “It’s shameful that the government can come out and lie about what happened.”

Well, Coach Kerr didn’t stop there; he also claimed, and strongly, if you will, that the federal agents were not “rooting out violent criminals,” but were instead “taking 5-year-old kindergartners and U.S. citizens and detaining people.”

Kerr’s remarks centered on the case involving 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, a version of events the Department of Homeland Security later contested. According to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, agents were trying to arrest the boy’s father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias. Officials allege he ran from the scene, leaving the child alone inside a running vehicle during sub-freezing temperatures.

DHS stated that agents attempted to place the child with his mother, who allegedly refused to open the door or assume custody despite assurances she would not be arrested. Authorities said they took the child into custody for safety reasons.