Steve Clevenger (Twitter)
The Seattle Mariners suspended one of their players after he shared two antagonistic tweets against President Obama, Black people, and BLM Thursday. MLB catcher Steve Clevenger issued an apology once backlash came, but the team distanced themselves from the remarks.
Today, they suspended him without pay for the remainder of the season.
“As soon as we became aware of the tweets posted by Steve yesterday we began to examine all of our options in regard to his standing on the team,” General manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement to the Associated Press.
Thursday’s messages exposed Clevenger’s thoughts on Keith Lamont Scott. A cop shot and killed the 43-year-old man in North Carolina.
Yahoo News reported the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department identified Brentley Vinson — a Black officer — as the culprit.
Clevenger’s tweet mentioned the revelation and referred to the victim as a “thug.” He also took aim at NFL players protesting against police brutality by kneeling for the national anthem.
Another tweet took aim at President Barack Obama and Black Lives Matter. After deeming the two “pathetic,” the catcher thought protesters in Charlotte “should be locked behind bars like animals.”
Clevenger later deleted the offending remarks and protected his tweets.
Then, the Mariners issued a statement about their player’s views.
The team noted Clevenger is “certainly free to express himself.” However, “his tweets do not in any way represent” their opinions.
“We strongly disagree with the language and tone of his comments,” they said.
In order to clear his name, Clevenger issued a lengthy statement of his own.
After apologizing to the Mariners, his family and fans, he explained the thought of anyone deeming him racist “sickened” him.
“My tweets were reactionary to the events I saw on the news and were worded beyond poorly at best,” his statement read in part. “And I can see how and why someone could read into my tweets far more deeply than how I actually feel.”
“With everything going on in the world I really just want what is best for everyone regardless of who they are,” he continued. “I like many Americans are frustrated by a lot of things in the world and I would like to be a part of the dialogue moving forward to make this a better world for everyone.”
