A St. Louis radio host has been fired for using a racial slur in reference to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

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KTRS-AM morning show host Dave Lenihan made the remark Wednesday during a discussion about Rice's qualifications to take over as commissioner of the National Football League, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

"She's been chancellor at Stanford. I mean she's just got the patent resume of somebody that's got some serious skill," Lenihan said on air. "She loves football. She's African-American, which would kind of be a big coon ..."

"'A big coon?' Oh my god," he said. "I am totally, totally, totally, totally, totally sorry for that. OK? I didn't mean that. That was just a slip of the tongue."

Station President Tim Dorsey offered an on-air apology 20 minutes later and said he fired Lenihan.

"I don't know what is in Mr. Lenihan's mind. I know what I heard," Dorsey said. "I know it was reprehensible."