I would say more likely he realized that the next season (which might be his last), would be fucked without walking back some of the comments. By and large, whites and blacks coexist very well when given some commonality, like you have when you're competing in a team sport, or to a lesser extent work for the same company, etc.  If his teammates (70% black) are offended by his comments, then his options would be to retire, or walk them back.