The Seattle Mariners have suspended backup catcher Steve Clevenger without pay for the remainder of the season after tweets about a recent police shooting and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced on Friday that the club suspended Clevenger.
According to KIRO 7 News partner ESPN 710 Seattle, the tweets published on Thursday said:
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"Black people beating whites when a thug got shot holding a gun by a black officer haha [expletive] cracks me up. Keep kneeling for the Anthem!"
"BLM is pathetic once again! Obama you are pathetic once again! Everyone involved should be locked behind bars like animals!"
>> Mariners ‘very disappointed' with tweets posted by backup catcher Steve Clevenger. Read Mariners' statement here.
Clevenger’s Twitter account is currently private.
“As soon as we became aware of the tweets posted by Steve yesterday [Thursday] we began to examine all of our options in regard to his standing on the team,” Dipoto said. “Today we have informed him that he is suspended for the reminder of the season without pay.”
On Thursday night, MLB on FOX reporter Ken Rosenthal shared an apology from Clevenger.
Statement from Steve Clevenger "First and foremost I would like to apologize to the Seattle Mariners, my teammates,...
Posted by Ken Rosenthal on Thursday, September 22, 2016
Clevenger, 30, appeared in 22 games with the Mariners this season prior to being placed on the disabled list with a fractured hand on June 30. He hit .221 (15x68) with 3 doubles, 1 home run and 7 RBI.
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