Steve Clevenger, the Seattle Mariners catcher, has been suspended without pay for the remainder of the MLB season as punishment for a series of racial tweets he posted this week.
The suspension announcement came the day after the MLB player posted a barrage of tweets on the protests of the police killing in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week, according to Sports Illustrated.
The posts reportedly referred to police-shooting victim Keith Lamont Scott, who was killed by a black police officer in Charlotte this week, as a "thug." The tweets went on to mock the recent actions of some professional athletes who have been kneeling during the national anthem.
Clevenger stated that those involved in the Charlotte protests “should be locked behind bars like animals.”
“Black people beating whites when a thug got shot holding a gun by a black officer haha s*** cracks me up. Keep kneeling for the Anthem!” he posted on his account, which has since been made private.
“[Black Lives Matter] is pathetic once again! Obama you are pathetic once again! Everyone involved should be locked behind bars like animals!”
The catcher apologized on Thursday in a statement posted to the Facebook page of Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal.
Some of the post reads: “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 my tweets on my personal twitter (sic) page caused when they 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.”
Clevenger’s recent actions could put him in a tricky spot in terms of his future with the Mariners, as he’s currently a backup who is injured, according to SB Nation.
Ahead of the suspension, the Mariners issued a statement regarding the matter.
“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.”