Apologies flow as latest baseballer exposed for offensive tweets

Atlanta Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb apologised yesterday for racist, homophobic and sexist tweets he sent as a teenager, calling them “some stupid stuff”.

“I definitely regret it,” he said. The 25-year-old Newcomb spoke less than an hour after nearly pitching a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The tweets were sent in 2011 and 2012.

“I just wanted to apologise for any insensitive material,” Newcomb said. “It was a long time ago, six or seven years ago, saying some stupid stuff with friends.

“I know I’ve grown a lot since then. I didn’t mean anything by it. It was just something stupid I did a long time ago and I didn’t mean anything by it, for sure,” he said.

Major League Baseball dealt with a similar situation this month involving Milwaukee Brewers reliever Josh Hader on the night he pitched in the All-Star Game.

“Such inappropriate comments have no place in our game. We are aware of this serious issue. Billy Bean will meet with Mr Newcomb this week and we will identify an appropriate course of diversity training for him in the Atlanta community,” MLB said in a statement.

Bean is MLB’s vice-president for social responsibility and inclusion. He is a former big league outfielder and openly gay.

Bean will likely also be scheduling a meeting with Trea Turner after homophobic and racially insensitive tweets by the Washington Nationals shortstop from 2011 and 2012 surfaced yesterday. The 25-year-old Turner apologised in a statement released by the team.

Hader apologised after offensive tweets sent when he was a teen came to light on July 17. The next day, MLB said the 24-year-old Hader will go through sensitivity training and participate in diversity and inclusion initiatives. Hader also met Bean.

“We are aware of the tweets that surfaced after [yesterday’s] game and have spoken to Sean, who is incredibly remorseful,” the Braves said in a statement. “Regardless of how long ago he posted them, he is aware of the insensitivity and is taking full responsibility.”

Newcomb said he had forgotten about the tweets until he picked up his phone post-game and saw mentions of the posts.