Luke Arkins responds to Marc James’ apology

And Ryan Rowland-Smith addresses criticism from KJR-FM host on Twitter

Luke Arkins

BOISE, Idaho - You’ve probably heard about the sports radio craziness this week involving KJR-FM host Marc James, Mariners blogger Luke Arkins and ROOT Sports analyst Ryan Rowland-Smith.

In case you haven’t, James mocked Rowland-Smith’s Australian accent on “MJ in the Mid-day,” his 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. show, and lit into Arkins after he criticized James for criticizing Rowland-Smith.

Arkins just happened to be interviewed by James on the same day, and James ripped Arkins on Twitter, calling him the worst guest he’d ever had on one of his shows.

On Friday Rowland-Smith posted a video on Twitter that didn’t really address James - he mostly just wanted to thank Mariner fans for their support. Hyphen received countless positive messages on social media, and Rowland-Smith appreciated them all.

On Thursday, James opened his show with heartfelt and seemingly sincere apologies to Rowland-Smith and Arkins. But the cynic in me, which is 100 percent of me, believes James was forced to make those apologies by KJR-FM program director Rich Moore or risk the possibility of being fired.

If he truly felt like apologizing, why didn’t he do it the day before, the day after the shit hit the fan? Seems like a closed-door meeting, the kind of which I’m also familiar with, must have happened with James.

Arkins has not heard the on-air apology from James, but James did contact Arkins and directly apologized to him.

“I harbor no ill will toward Marc,” Arkins said. “I told him that he didn’t need to apologize, but he insisted. We had a good talk and I consider myself on good terms with Marc.

“I believe that we all have said and done things we’ve regretted. Through my life, I’ve been afforded a second chance whenever I’ve stumbled. Hopefully, people will consider doing the same for Marc and give him an opportunity to redeem himself over time.

“As Ted Lasso once said, ‘I hope that either all of us, or none of us, are judged by the actions of our weakest moments. But rather, by the strength we show when, and if, we’re ever given a second chance.’ ”

Keep it here for further developments because I’m pretty much known for making mountains out of molehills and blowing things out of proportion and for being petty and bitter and swerving all over the low road after being fired by KJR-FM.

To those who say “give it a rest already, Jim,” I say I’ll give it a rest when people like James stop hanging curveballs!

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Have a great holiday weekend.