Used to be, when you made a stupid comment, it travelled a short distance before mutating, and you could just say, "I never said that," and end the discussion there. It becomes he-said, she-said, and if the person doesn't have a history of saying stupid things already, the benefit of the doubt is given and the argument is over. 

Now-adays, people post stupid comments and they are saved for posterity sake. So, either you have to separate your personal life from your professional life (always a good idea...), or have the brain-to-mouth filters engaged 24/7/365. 

Here's hoping that Frei got canned because he has a history of doing the stupid/racist/insensitive thing....