Panthers' Tetairoa McMillan apologizes for use of racial slur on livestream

Alex Zietlow, The Charlotte Observer on Feb 5, 2026

Published in Football

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan has issued an apology for using the N-word on a livestream earlier this week.

“Yesterday, while on live stream, I used a term I should not have,” McMillan shared on his Instagram story on Thursday. “There’s no excuse for what I said — I sincerely apologize for speaking thoughtlessly and will do better.”

The wide receiver said the racial slur while participating in “The Streamer Bowl,” an annual charity esports tournament that puts Twitch streamers and NFL stars on teams and has them compete against each other in a variety of challenges, according to the Twitch Rivals website. This year marked the seventh iteration of The Streamer Bowl series; it typically runs ahead of the Super Bowl each year.

This year, the Hawaiian-born player teamed up with popular influencers Yonna Jay and Tamir. One of the games the trio competed in was Madden — an NFL video game. At one point, McMillan maneuvered his team to secure an interception, and then interjected: “(N-word), (N-word). Pick to the Baja! Pick to the Baja!”

When reached for comment, the Panthers referred to McMillan’s apology. It’s unclear how many people viewed the stream in real-time; last year’s Twitch Rivals Streamer Bowl had 33,000 average viewers over three hours of airtime, according to StreamsCharts.com. The moment in question with McMillan, however, was shared on other platforms, including on various X accounts, which garnered even more engagement.

McMillan was in California ahead of Super Bowl LX because he is nominated for — and is the betting favorite to win — the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The honor will be given out during the NFL Honors ceremony, which starts at 9 p.m. ET and will be televised on NBC, NFL Network, Peacock and NFL+.

McMillan finished his first season in Carolina with 75 receptions for 1,095 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. That receiving yardage total broke a Panthers rookie franchise record.