Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Josh Hader gave up a three-run home run in the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, but what happened off the field was even worse for the hurler.
During the game, old tweets that Hader had posted to his social media account resurfaced, causing an avalanche of controversy and calls for the pitcher to be suspended.
In the tweets, which have since been deleted but were screen-grabbed by Twitter users, Hader repeatedly used racial slurs and made several homophobic remarks, including a tweet from 2011 in which he said “I hate gay people.”
After the game, Hader apologized for the comments.
“I’m deeply sorry for what I’ve said and what’s been going on,” he told media at Nationals Park. “As a child, I was immature. That doesn’t reflect on who I am as a person today.”
On Wednesday, Brewers General Manager David Stearns released a statement on the tweets by Hader, calling them “inexcusable:”
“We have been in contact with Josh and he is fully aware of the severity of the situation related to his social media comments, regardless of the timeline of his posts. His comments are inexcusable, and he is taking full responsibility for the consequences of his actions. In no way do these sentiments reflect the views of the Brewers organization or our community.
Chicago Baseball
“Those of us that have come to know Josh do not believe that these posts are representative of his beliefs. He has been a good teammate and contributor to the team in every way.
“We will continue to work through this issue with Josh as we prepare to resume games after the break.”
Major League Baseball said that they will require Hader to go through sensitivity training and to participate in diversity and inclusion initiatives, but that they will not suspend the hurler.
“After the game, Mr. Hader took the necessary step of expressing remorse for his highly offensive and hurtful language, which fails to represent the values of our game and our expectations for all those who are a part of it,” the league said in a statement.
The Brewers will resume their season on Friday night when they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
