It's not using the word that's the problem. It's how and why it is being used. A black comedian uses it in a way to get a laugh but Richards' (will you all quit calling the guy Kramer?) outburst was just that--a racial outburst. He wasn't trying to get a laugh, he sounded like he wanted to kill somebody.

Should it end his career? I don't know? Will it? I don't know. Is he genuinely sorry? Probably. I guess it's up to him at this point although it's going to be hard for him to live it down. Celebrity comes with a price all its own.