Navy Secretary issues apology, following incendiary comments aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt

Just hours after harshly worded comments from acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly were leaked to the press, the Naval leader issued an apology to ex-Capt. Brett Crozier and the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Modly’s comments were reportedly broadcast over the ship’s speaker system, addressing the firing of Crozier following a leaked letter he had written about the ship’s struggle with a coronavirus outbreak.

Modly had initially said that Crozier’s actions were either “naive” or “stupid,” or a deliberate plot to cause a media frenzy over conditions on the ship.

The head of the Navy clarified, “Let me be clear, I do not think Captain Brett Crozier is naive nor stupid … I believe, precisely because he is not naive and stupid, that he sent his alarming emailing with the intention of getting it into the public domain in an effort to draw public attention to the situation on his ship.”

“I also want to apologize directly to Captain Crozier, his family, and the entire crew of the Theodore Roosevelt for any pain my remarks may have caused,” Modly also said in his apology.