Offensive Tweets From Atlanta Braves Pitcher Resurface
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Sean Newcomb (15) is shown during batting practice before of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins Monday in Atlanta. Newcomb apologized Sunday for racist, homophobic and sexist tweets he sent as a teenager, calling them “some stupid stuff.”
“I definitely regret it, for sure,” he said.
John Bazemore / Associated Press
Atlanta Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb tossed a gem on the field Sunday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He came within one out of throwing a no-hitter.
After the game, though, he found himself in the spotlight for a different reason.
Old, offensive tweets from Sean Newcomb’s account, which included the N-word and homophobic language, were dug up by a Washington Nationals fan and surfaced after the game.
The tweets were originally posted during Newcomb’s senior year in high school.
The 25-year-old has since apologized. Jeff Graham with Georgia Equality, an LGBT advocacy group, says an apology is a good start.
“There are actions that he can take that would really prove that he has changed as a person,” Graham said. “I think it’s more important to see what his actions are than just a simple apology.”
The Braves released a statement calling the tweets “hurtful and disappointing.”
Graham said people also should give Newcomb a chance to prove that he’s learned his lesson.
“If people truly do regret the actions or the statements that they have made in the past, especially if those statements or actions were made when they were younger, we need to allow the space where people can change,” Graham said.
Newcomb is the third MLB player in the past two weeks to have old social media posts surface using racial and homophobic slurs.
Milwaukee Brewers’ Josh Hader and Washington Nationals’ Trea Turner also had tweets from their high school years re-surface.
The Braves released a statement saying they were hurt and disappointed by the tweets.
The MLB says it will work with Newcomb in diversity training in the coming weeks.
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