Then - a little bit later on Shep apologized for the statement - he said that he had been reading it just as it came across the wires and that he didn't really realize just what it was that he was saying until after the fact. (I'm paraphrasing here - but it was something to that effect.)
He said that he was truly embarrassed and that he was very sorry.
Shep is a showman...a good anchor...and a class act as far as I am concerned. Enormous talent...and human to boot.