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‘I Had Been Drinking’: Rodman Apologizes for North Korea Rant

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Dennis Rodman is sorry. In a statement emailed from his publicist to the Associated Press, the former basketball player apologized for his strange rant on CNN on Tuesday.

“I take full responsibility for my actions,” he said, according to the news wire. Rodman said the interview came at the end of a stressful day. “My dream of basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart. I had been drinking.”

The ex-NBA star went on to apologize to Chris Cuomo, who conducted the interview, as well as the family of Kenneth Bae, an American citizen currently detained in North Korea. In the interview, Rodman seemed to imply Bae was to blame for his own arrest.

Rodman insists his trip to North Korea amounts to ‘basketball diplomacy.’ But American officials aren’t convinced: The State Department kept quiet on the matter saying that they did not want to “dignify” his comments with a response.

More: Rodman’s North Korea Visit Won’t Hide Kim Jong Un’s Insecurities

[AP]

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Write to Emily Rauhala at emily_rauhala@timeasia.com