We’re all aware of the difficult situation playing out right now in Charlotte, N.C. after another black man lost his life at the hands of police. Tensions are high. People want equal justice. And people are passionate about the cause.
Enter Steve Clevenger, a catcher for the Seattle Mariners who is also passionate about the cause, but in the totally opposite direction. So much so, that he decided to go on Twitter on Thursday night and regurgitate his scalding hot thoughts about president Obama and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Tweets have since been deleted, but not before The Score captured screen shots of them.
For their part, the Seattle Mariners immediately responded to the situation by issuing this statement…
“The Seattle Mariners are very disappointed at the tweets posted on Steve Clevenger’s account. While he is certainly free to express himself, his tweets do not in any way represent the opinions of the Seattle Mariners. We strongly disagree with the language and tone of his comments.
“We are currently examining all internal options that are available to us as we determine appropriate next steps. We will have no further comment at this time.”
The Mariners are “examining all internal options” which, of course, translates to “Steve Clevenger is probably going to be out of a job soon.”
UPDATE: Clevenger issued a statement to Business Insider apologizing for his comments…
“First and foremost I would like to apologize to the Seattle Mariners, my teammates, my family and the fans of our great game for the distraction caused by my tweets on my personal twitter page that went public earlier today. I am sickened by the idea that anyone would think of me in racist terms. My tweets were reactionary to the events I saw on the news and were worded beyond poorly at best and I can see how and why someone could read into my tweets far more deeply than how I actually feel.
“I grew up on the streets of Baltimore, a city I love to this very day. I grew up in a very culturally diverse area of America and I am very proud to come from there. I am also proud that my inner circle of friends has never been defined by race but by the content of their character. Any former teammate or anyone who has met me can attest to this and I pride myself on not being a judgemental person. I just ask that the public not judge me because of an ill worded tweet.
“I do believe that supporting our First Amendment rights and supporting local law enforcement are not mutually exclusive. With everything going on in the world I really just want what is best for everyone regardless of who they are. I, like many Americans, am 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.
“I once again apologize to anyone who was offended today and I just ask you not judge me off of a social media posting. Thank you and God bless everyone.”
[H/T The Score]