Bode Miller doesn't blame NBC's Christin Cooper for Sunday's emotional interview in which the bronze-medal-winning skier dissolved into tears, and he feels bad that she's being criticized for pushing too hard.
"I know she didn't mean to push," Miller said on Monday's Today. "I don't think she really anticipated what my reaction was going to be, and I think by the time she realized it, it was too late. I don't blame her at all."
VIDEO: Bode Miller Reduced to Tears After NBC Reporter Asks About His Dead Brother
After Miller's bronze-medal-winning race, Cooper asked him multiple questions about his late brother, Chelone, a professional snowboarder who died in April following a seizure, ultimately leading Miller to start crying.
“You’re showing so much emotion down here,” Cooper said. “What’s going through your mind?”
“A lot, obviously,” Miller said. “A long struggle coming in here, and just a tough year.”
Cooper then asked him about his brother a few more times, as Miller appeared to be fighting back tears. He ultimately seemed overcome by emotion, put his head down and started crying.
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Shortly after the interview aired on the West Coast, Miller tweeted that the emotional incident was "not all [Cooper's] fault," adding that his "emotions were very raw" and that Cooper was just trying to do her job.
On Monday's Today, he added that he felt bad that Cooper's being criticized for the interview.
"I feel terrible that she's taking the heat for that because it really was just a heat-of-the-moment kind of circumstance,'' Miller said. "I don't think there was any harm intended. It was just a lot of emotion for me. It's been a lot over the past year. You sometimes don't realize how much you can contain that stuff until the dam breaks, and then it's just a real outpouring."
Watch the video of Miller's remarks on Today here.
