MILWAUKEE -- A Milwaukee Brewers All-Star relief pitcher whose tweets from the past included racist and homophobic language will not be suspended.
These details come from Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY:
Major League Baseball issues statement requiring #Brewers Josh Hader to enroll in diversity and inclusion initiatives. He will not be suspended pic.twitter.com/wDpvfkDzlA
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 18, 2018
The Brewers shared this statement in full after the announcement:
“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.
“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.”
Here in Milwaukee, Brewers fans were mixed about the news.
"It's old news," said Brewer's fan Doug Schmitt. "The tweets were posted six or seven years ago. He says he's a different man."
"Honestly, he was 17-years-old, I don't think it should be brought up at this time, especially during the all-star break," adds Robert Iverson. "People just need to let it go."
"A lot of people are disappointed by these tweets," says Victor Barnett, the Founder and Executive Director of Running Rebels, a non-profit that helps inner-city kids. "Professional athletes are role models if they want to be or not. They have young people of all different races and backgrounds looking up to them. It's hard to see an athlete use the 'n-word,' and post sexist and homophobic things."
Barnett used Hader's tweets as a teaching moment Wednesday.
"I told them that what they put on social media today is going to be there years from now," Barnett said. "We do a lot with young people in terms of trying to get them scholarships, and we always tell them that college coaches and admissions counselors will look at your social media to check your character."
Hader has apologized, saying his old tweets don't reflect his personal views.
Barnett says it's what happens from here, that's key.
"A lot came out of this," he said. "It's letting everyone know that this kind of behavior is not to be accepted. When you have people stand up and let it be known that something is morally wrong, our young people are able to see that."
What exactly Hader's sensitivity and diversity training will include, is not yet clear.
