Chicago-area baseball coach John Kelly was suspended as president of the Westside Baseball of Oak Lawn youth league after referring to Whitney Houston as a “dumb stupid n—–” on Facebook.

Here’s the Facebook post via the Oak Lawn Patch

“I’m so sick if reading about this dumb stupid N—– Whitney Houston..she’s the dumb ass that decided to do drugs n kill herself stay with that woman beater … she blew more $$ up her nose than most of ye will make in yer lifetime … there are kids dying real fathers n mothers fighting for their lives…grow up ye dumb assess…think she’d give a flying f— about u???? Just saying.”

Kelly’s Facebook post was copied and pasted to the league’s public page by the mother of an ex-player. He claims he “didn’t realize” he had used the word until afterward. He regrets his word-choice, but not his criticism of Whitney Houston.

Kelly added Wednesday that Houston shouldn’t be a role model for kids and that he especially resented New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s order to lower flags to half-staff at state buildings on the day of Houston’s funeral.

“I do stand behind everything I said except the ‘n’-word. I regret using that adjective,” he said.

Kelly wishes you to rest assured that he’s no racist. Racism was, he told the Sun Times, “the farthest thing from (his) mind” and he has “some amazing friends who are black.”