It only took one conversation with a reporter for John Lackey to land in hot water.
Lackey, who will miss the entire 2012 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, had to issue an apology through the Red Sox after using the term "retarded" in an interview with the Boston Globe to describe last year's chicken-and-beer controversy.
"I apologize for my thoughtless choice of words that appeared in print earlier today," Lackey said in a statement released late Tuesday afternoon by the Red Sox. "I meant no harm, and I am sorry to all I offended."
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Lackey's original quote: ""Guys having a beer after their start has been going on for the last 100 years. This is retarded. It's not like we were sitting up there doing it every night. It's not even close to what people think.''