Joyce’s slur to heckler costs him 2-game ban
ANAHEIM — A’s outfielder Matt Joyce was suspended for two games Saturday for his use of a homophobic slur during Friday night’s game at Anaheim, and the team will donate the more than $54,000 that Joyce will forfeit in salary to PFLAG.
“I’m deeply ashamed and embarrassed by my actions,” Joyce said Saturday afternoon at Angel Stadium. “The word I did use is very uncharacteristic of me . ... There is no excuse for that kind of language ever to be used.”
Joyce, Oakland’s right fielder and leadoff hitter, was overheard by an Associated Press photographer while directing an antigay insult at a fan who was heckling Joyce.
like to apologize to the fans, the Oakland A’s, the Bay Area — the community has been awesome to me — and to MLB, and especially obviously to the LGBTQ community, who I have a lot of respect for,” Joyce said before the A’s game against the Angels. “I really hope people can find it in their hearts to forgive me and not be too quick to judge me on one incident.”
Joyce said the fan in question made personal remarks about his family, including his wife, but added that players are held to a higher standard when it comes to dealing with fans. “You get it 100 days in a row, and the game is stressful enough,” he said. “Sometimes players aren’t perceived as people on the field . ... But there’s no good excuse to react the way I did, and I can’t apologize enough.”
The A’s have punished minor leaguers severely for using homophobic slurs, suspending pitcher Ian Krol for the end of the 2011 season for a socialmedia post that included a slur and releasing a minor leaguer this spring for a similar infraction.
Joyce said he knows that a suspension is warranted.
“There is no tolerance for that in baseball and with the Oakland A’s, with the great community we have in the Bay Area,” he said. “It’s embarrassing for me and my family. I was raised a lot better. I really let the emotions and frustrations get the better of me.”
Joyce will be doing outreach with PFLAG, formerly known as Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, a group promoting inclusiveness and providing support for members of the LGBTQ community and their allies. “Obviously I’m going to be as involved as I can to help their cause,” Joyce said. “I have a lot of respect for them and what they stand for . ... I look forward
to working with them.”
The team released a statement Saturday saying: “The Oakland Athletics are very disappointed by the comments Matt Joyce made to a fan during the 8th inning of last night's game. This language is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by our team. We pride ourselves on being inclusive and expect our entire organization to live up to higher standards. We appreciate that Matt is contrite about his conduct and know he will learn from this incident.”
Toronto’s Kevin Pillar was suspended for two games earli“I’d er this season for using an antigay slur against an opposing pitcher, and former Toronto infielder Yunel Escobar, now with the Angels, was suspended for three games in 2012 for a homophobic slur etched into his eye black.
Joyce played for the Angels in 2015 and performed so poorly that he was sent to the minors; he is often the target of verbal abuse at Angel Stadium. Outfielders are particularly prone to profane heckling; A’s left fielder Khris Davis has discussed the racist comments he hears on a regular basis while playing in the outfield.