From the “personal responsibility” file:

Fire chief who called Mike Tomlin a ‘n**ger’ resigns — and blames the media for making him look racist https://t.co/kIonJ4Yre3

— Raw Story (@RawStory) September 27, 2017

We start off with the act of contrition:

Washington County fire chief Paul Smith has resigned in wake of his use of a racial slur to refer to Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

Followed immediately by the excuse-making:

“The media dragged my fire company and township into this as well as my family,” Smith told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a statement.

The Steelers coach explained to the press that he had decided to keep his team in a stadium tunnel to avoid dealing with the controversy surrounding the American National Anthem. Smith then called Tomlin a “no good N***er” on his Facebook page. He then added “Yes, I said it.”

He also blamed the media for labeling him a racist.

“I am not the racist the media portrays me as,” Smith said.

Paul, I’m gonna level with ya, most white people who I’ve heard insist “I’m not a racist” did so after they did something blatantly racist and were called on it. You don’t vomit forth words like “ni-CLANG” as an insult, much less follow up with “Yes, I said it,” and expect people to believe that you’re “not a racist.” Your buddies at the bar may buy that bullshit, but that’s because they’re fellow closeted racists who laugh at your racist jokes and rant about that “ni-CLANG” who cost them their job while insisting that they’ve a black friend who’s “one of the good ones.”