Isaiah Says They Fired The Wrong Guy

"They fired the wrong guy," Isaiah Washington said today.
The former Dr. Preston Burke on ABC's hit series Grey's Anatomy told the Houston Chronicle that T.R. Knight should have been fired from the show.
Washington was let go on June 7, just a month before filming for the new season was to begin. He has been slammed with negative publicity since October. That's when he allegedly used an anti-gay slur during an on-set disagreement with co-star Patrick Dempsey.
The Houston native's interviews with the media since then have been limited.
"I have to clear my name," a determined Washington told the Houston Chronicle in a telephone interview from the set of his new movie, The Least of These. "I'll start from the beginning. I'm telling everything. So here's the truth."
Washington said Knight, who plays Dr. George O'Malley, stirred up the notion that the slur was targeted at him and created a negative work environment. Washington also alleged that Knight likely wanted a salary increase and a more substantive role for his character.
Knight, who acknowledged that he was gay after the incident, told Ellen DeGeneres in January that Washington used the slur against him and that "everyone (on the set) heard it."
"That's a lie," Washington said. "I used the word during a disagreement with Patrick. I apologized for that. We shook hands and went back to work."
He said he is considering a lawsuit. "My livelihood, my honor and dignity and my name have been so challenged."
Washington said his firing was a big disappointment.
"I was not fired for making homophobic slurs," he said. "I did everything I said I would do. I offered to go to counseling, to do a public service announcement. I wanted everyone to know I was remorseful."
Washington said he asked to be released from his contract last fall after the first incident, then again in January when he repeated the slur at the Golden Globes. His use of the word at the awards ceremony was taken out of context, he said. He was responding to a reporter's question about whether he had used the slur.
He said he regrets that his actions overshadowed Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes' win for best TV series drama.
Washington learned ABC would not renew his contract in a tearful call from Rhimes.
"That was a shock," he said. "I did everything they told me to do, including not saying anything, and then they didn't renew my contract. That's not fair."
ABC executives declined to comment Wednesday.
The 43-year-old Washington said this was the first negative incident in his 20 years in Hollywood.
He said he made three errors in judgment: "believing the cast of Grey's Anatomy were like family; believing I had the freedom to express myself with family and that we could resolve our issues; and trusting ABC was going to take care of me.
"I'm not angry. I'm disappointed."
from The Houston Chronicle