The man responsible for the national anthem mixup before Saturday’s Dodgers-Padres game on Saturday night at Petco Park stepped forward on Monday to take blame for his mistake and apologize for the incident.
Art Romero, known professionally as DJ ArtForm, said he was the one who failed to play the recorded anthem music provided for the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus performance. Instead, the anthem performed by a woman the previous night was played on the Petco Park PA. On Sunday night, the Padres terminated the contract they had with Romero, a third-party contractor to work as the Petco Park DJ.
Here is Romero’s statement from his Facebook page:
“My deepest apologies and sincere regret toward the entire San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus & the LGBT community for the incident that occurred during the National Anthem. It was a very unfortunate mistake but it was just that, an error. I in no way, shape or form directed any type of hate, bad intent or discrimination towards the chorus or anyone involved. The incident was not a representation of myself, San Diego, & it’s amazing Baseball fans.
“I have felt the consequences of my mistake as a dream job has dissolved before my eyes which does not take away that I am extremely sorry for the horrible mistake that occurred. I have family members & friends that are a part of the LGBT community and I have always been a supporter of Equal Human Rights, so it pains me greatly to see that I am being accused of acting intentionally. As a former high school and college baseball player, I understand the importance of ensuring equality for all in sports and am appalled by some of the negative, homophobic comments made by fans related to the National Anthem incident.
“I have reached out to LGBT leaders in San Diego and am currently in discussion regarding a meeting with the Chorus and LGBT leaders personally in order to be as constructive as possible about the error. I’ve let down my city, my family and everyone who had faith in me. Once again, I’m truly sorry for this entire ordeal.”
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