Pro Ballplayer Suspended Over Charlotte Police Shooting Tweets

The suspension will cost Steve Clevenger approximately $32K
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 23, 2016 5:07 PM CDT
Baseball Player Suspended Over Keith Scott Tweets
Seattle Mariners backup catcher Steve Clevenger was suspended without pay Friday after tweets he made in the wake of the police shooting of Keith Scott.   (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

The Seattle Mariners have suspended a player without pay for tweets he made regarding the shooting death of Keith Scott in Charlotte, CBS Sports reports. "Black people beating whites when a thug got shot holding a gun by a black officer haha shit cracks me up! Keep kneeling for the Anthem!" backup catcher Steve Clevenger tweeted Thursday. "BLM is pathetic once again! Obama you are pathetic once again! Everyone involved should be locked behind bars like animals!" he said in a second tweet. According to USA Today, the Mariners condemned Clevenger's tweets Thursday and announced his suspension Friday. The MLB social media policy prohibits players from posting anything "derogatory or insensitive to individuals based on race."

In an apology issued Thursday, Clevenger said he's "sickened" that anyone would think he's racist. "I pride myself on not being a judgmental person," he said. Clevenger was already on the team's disabled list and wasn't going to play in the final 10 games of the season anyway, Yahoo Sports reports. But the suspension will cost him an estimated $32,000 in salary. The 30-year-old catcher has only appeared in 22 games this season and hasn't been very good over his career. He's best known for being a part of trades involving much better players. This latest incident may be it for Clevenger. "Given his lackluster career numbers, these comments are probably career-threatening," CBS states. (More Seattle Mariners stories.)

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