Mariners CEO Mather resigns

Mariners CEO Kevin Mather resigned Monday after video surfaced over the weekend of him expressing his views of the club’s organizational strategy and making insensitive remarks about players.

Mariners Chairman John Stanton said Mather’s comments were inappropriate and don’t represent the views of the franchise.

Mather’s resignation is effective immediately, with Stanton taking on the roles of CEO and team president on an interim basis.

Stanton said Mather resigned before a decision had to be made whether to fire him.

“There were a number of comments made by Kevin that, as I’ve said, didn’t reflect the Mariners, don’t reflect what I believe, what our ownership believes, and were inappropriate,” Stanton said. “Those comments included some of the things that have been referenced with respect to our players, and in particular the importance of diversity and inclusion in our organization.”

Mather issued an apology late Sunday for his comments, which were made Feb. 5 to the Bellevue, Washington, Breakfast Rotary Club and were posted online over the weekend.

The video posted by the Rotary group was 46 minutes long and touched on areas of the Mariners’ organizational situation going into the 2021 season — many of which the team’s front office would rather not be made public.

Mather’s departure seemed inevitable as the firestorm grew over his statements, including comments on the manipulation of service time for some top prospects — Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert — and insensitive comments about international players’ understanding of English.

The video was another transgression during Mather’s tenure with the club, which began in 1996. Mather was promoted to CEO and team president in 2017, but a year later was trying to explain allegations of harassment made by two former female employees.

„ ■ Three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw said Sunday he would “absolutely” consider the possibility of re-signing with the Dodgers after his contract ends this season. There has been speculation Kershaw, who turns 33 before opening day, could sign elsewhere or retire.

College football: Former Oregon QB Tyler Shough announced Monday that he will transfer to Texas Tech as a graduate student. Shough started all seven of Oregon’s games last season, helping the team win its second straight Pac-12 championship. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

NBA: Warriors star Stephen Curry practiced and is expected to play Tuesday against the Knick. Curry missed Saturday’s loss to the Hornets due to illness . ... The Spurs practices for the first time since it was revealed last week that four players tested positive for COVID-19. They still will be without at least six players for Wednesday’s road game against the Thunder.

NFL: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and other members of the organization tested positive for COVID-19 last week, according to reports. Tomlin, 48, reportedly is feeling fine . ... Four-time Pro Bowl G Mike Iupati announced that he’s retiring after 11 season. Iupati, 33, played five seasons with the 49ers before four with the Cardinals and the last two with the Seahawks. He missed six games in 2020 while dealing with injuries to his knee, back and neck.

NHL: Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe will miss the rest of the season after suffering an injury to his right knee during Saturday’s win over the Devils. McCabe, 27, was diagnosed with ligament and meniscus damage. He will need six to eight months to recover.

Soccer: U.S. forward Jordan Morris will miss at least the CONACAF Nations League, Gold Cup and Tokyo Olympics after suffering an ACL injury in his left knee while playing for English Championship side Swansea City on Saturday. Morris is on loan from his hometown Seattle Sounders of MLS. He tore the ACL in his right knee in 2018 . ... Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to lead host and nine-time defending Serie A champ Juventus past Crotone 3-0. Juventus moved into third place, eight points behind leader Inter Milan but with a match in hand.