Al Sharpton has released a statement condemning radio host Rush Limbaugh for his comments about the late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

On Rush’s radio show Tuesday, the conservative host remembered Steinbrenner as the “classic capitalist” by saying: “That cracker made a lot of African-American millionaires. …And at the same time he fired a bunch of white guys.”

The watchdog group MediaMatters pounced on the comments, calling them “race-baiting.”

Sharpton said the remarks were “repugnant and offensive whether they were intended to be facetious or tongue and cheek.”

Read Sharpton’s letter in its entirety below the audio.

Rev. Al Sharpton states in response… “The statements made by Rush Limbaugh about George Steinbrenner were repugnant and offensive whether they were intended to be facetious or tongue and cheek. The fact that he could make these comments less than 24-hours after Mr. Steinbrenner’s death makes it even more offensive.

For the last 20-years I have known George Steinbrenner and we have quarreled over diversity and community programs but I always found him fair, direct, and genuinely prone to do what he felt was right. He generated a lot of money for a lot of players as well as for baseball as a whole and should not be disparaged in any matter.

In later years, in a twist of irony, his granddaughter and my daughter became close, which only brought me closer to knowing him, and we developed a mutual respect. Mr. Limbaugh and his broadcasters owe his family an apology that the first day of their mourning to have to be subjected to this type of rhetoric.

To think that just a year ago Mr. Limbaugh sought to be an owner of an NFL team and has now said this about a legendary baseball team owner. This says more about Mr. Limbaugh than it does Mr. Steinbrenner.”