Honestly, I think that the reference, in and of itself, is quite reasonable. The officer in question was endeavouring to paint a picture of the mans room using an evocative analogy. Chances are most people reading the article would be able to bring to mind a very clear picture that fitted with the theme of the room.
Unfortunately, in the context of the bad press that d&d has recieved over many years, many people will also draw further conclusions that are irrelevant to the issue.
I think it unlikely the officer gave any thought to the potential negativity his comments could bring to the game. The journalist herself almost certainly used the quote at least in part because of its provocativity (dunno if that's actually a word, but anyway...).
Perhaps I'm a little overly cynical, but that's the nature of journalism.