The Seattle Mariners' back up catcher Steve Clevenger, sent out two tweets from his personal account that are about as racist as they can get without using the n-word. Clevenger was responding to the protests in Charlotte over the recent shooting death of black men by police.
He described BLM and "Obama" as animals that should be locked up behind bars.
Clevenger tweeted:
"Black people beating whites when a thug got shot holding a gun by a black police officer. Haha s--- cracks me up! Keep kneeling for the Anthem!"
And the second one said:
“BLM is pathetic once again. Obama you are pathetic once again! Everyone involved should be locked behind bars like animals.’’
On his first tweet, the police have said that the video is inconclusive and have refused to release it so there is no visual evidence that the black man who was killed did have a gun at this time.
"The video doesn't give me absolute, definitive, visual evidence that would confirm that a person is pointing a gun," Chief Putney told a news conference.
Yet, Clevenger takes the police's word as sacrosanct at this point. I'd say that is "pathetic."
The journeymen player then tried to clarify his incendiary tweets by posting on baseball writer Ken Rosenthal's Facebook page. Here's a small portion of what he wrote:
I am sickened by the idea that anyone would think of me in racist terms. My tweets were reactionary to the events I saw on the news and were worded beyond poorly at best and I can see how and why someone could read into my tweets far more deeply than how I actually feel.
We are sickened by your tweets, Steve.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today writes: Mariners' Steve Clevenger should be released for insensitive tweets about protesters
The Seattle Mariners released a statement
Statement from Jerry Dipoto, Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations on Tweets from catcher Steve Clevenger. pic.twitter.com/1xWk6dy5ap
— Mariners (@Mariners) September 23, 2016
USA Today reports that "Clevenger changed his Twitter account to private shortly after he sent his tweets, but reporter Jon Humbert of KOMO-TV in Seattle captured screengrabs of the tweets."
Too little, too late, Steve. Steve Clevenger has joined the Donald Trump idiot brigade with Curt Schilling.
UPDATE: He's been suspended without pay for the season. h/t to commenter Mark N.
