Mariners Suspend Catcher For Insensitive Tweets About Charlotte
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SEATTLE (CBSMiami/AP) — The Seattle Mariners have suspended backup catcher Steve Clevenger for the rest of the season without pay Friday in the wake of his tweets regarding a recent police shooting in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Statement from Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto on the suspension of Steve Clevenger. pic.twitter.com/mgpQITiBy0
— Mariners (@Mariners) September 23, 2016
Dipoto said Clevenger was informed of the suspension on Friday.
Clevenger's Twitter account was changed to private Thursday night. Screen shots of the tweets showed Clevenger made disparaging comments about protesters and President Barack Obama, saying "everyone involved should be locked behind bars like animals!"
#Mariners say they are "looking into" controversial tweets coming pitcher Steve Clevenger's account screencapped by @cablebox666: pic.twitter.com/RcWNdqflGV
— Jon Humbert (@jonhumbert) September 22, 2016
Clevenger released a statement to Fox Sports late Thursday night apologizing for "the distraction my tweets on my personal twitter page caused when they went public earlier today.
"I am sickened by the idea that anyone would think of me in racist terms," continued Clevenger's statement. "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 appeared in 22 games for the Mariners this season. He was placed on the disabled list with a fractured hand on June 30.
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