Brewers Pitcher Josh Hader Forced to Take Sensitivity Training for Tweeting ‘I Hate Gay People’
Josh Hader apologized for tweeting homophobic and racist comments, and now the Milwaukee Brewers pitcher is being ordered to take sensitivity training by Major League Baseball.
A series of bigoted tweets by the 24-year-old athlete came to light Tuesday night, trending on Twitter while Hader was pitching the eighth inning of the All-Star Game at Washington, D.C.’s Nationals Park. The messages date from 2012 and 2013, back when Hader was 17, and include references to cocksucking and the phrase “I hate gay people.” Other posts included racial epithets and mentions of the KKK.
“I was young, immature and stupid,” Hader admits. “There is no excuse for that to happen. I’m deeply sorry for what I’ve said and what’s been going on. It doesn’t reflect any of my beliefs going on now.”
Hader was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the MLB draft in 2012, the same year he tweeted those messages. He was traded twice before joining the Brewers in 2015 and made his major league debut last year.
“When you’re 17 years old you make stupid decisions and stupid mistakes,” he added. “All I can do is just live up to what happened and move on from it. I’m ready for any consequences for what happened seven years ago. We all make mistakes. … I was in high school. We’re still learning who we are in high school. You live and you learn. This mistake won’t happen again.”
Josh Hader addresses the tweets that surfaced during the game pic.twitter.com/Zzh6uS2frH
— Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) July 18, 2018
Before Josh Hader apologized, friends and family who attended Tuesday’s game wearing his jersey were given generic jerseys to change into. Since then, the offending tweets have been deleted and Hader’s Twitter account has been set to private. In addition, MLB has ordered Hader to take sensitivity training and participate in diversity and inclusion initiatives.
”During last night’s game we became aware of Mr. Hader’s unacceptable social media comments in years past and have since been in communication with the Brewers regarding our shared concerns,” the league said in a statement. “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.”
Brewers management called the tweets “inexcusable” and said Hader was taking full responsibility for his actions.
“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.”
Hader allowed four hits Tuesday night, including a home run, contributing to the National League’s 8-6 loss.
Josh Hader apologized, but do you think that’s enough?
