Mariners suspend catcher Steve Clevenger for tweets critical of Black Lives Matter, Charlotte rioters
On Friday, MSN Sports reported that the Seattle Mariners suspended backup catcher Steve Clevenger for two tweets critical of the Black Lives Matter movement and the rioters looting in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Black people beating whites when a thug got shot holding a gun by a black officer haha (expletive) cracks me up! Keep kneeling for the anthem!” one tweet read.
“BLM (Black Lives Matter) is pathetic again! Obama you are pathetic once again! Everyone should be locked behind bars like animals!” he said in another tweet.
According to MSN Sports, he was suspended for the rest of the season without pay.
MSN Sports added:
The Mariners issued a statement Thursday condemning the tweets, with general manager Jerry Dipoto noting the club is “examining all internal options available to us.”
Clevenger was making a non-guaranteed $517,000 this season; he would be eligible for salary arbitration in 2017. His suspension could be appealed by the Major League Baseball Players’ Association. For now, the suspension will cost him around $32,000. A lifetime .227 hitter in 170 games over six seasons, Clevenger batted .221 with one home run this season. He’s best known for being included in trades that sent eventual ace Jake Arrieta from the Baltimore Orioles to the Chicago Cubs, and slugger Mark Trumbo from the Mariners the Orioles this past off-season.
Reaction on Twitter was mixed, with some calling Clevenger a racist who deserved to be suspended:
https://twitter.com/MichaelT162/status/779165377687199748
Just curious @Mariners, does racist catcher Steve Clevenger @Clev_45 represent the Mariners views? What a disrespectful pig #bigot #FIREHIM pic.twitter.com/riQSs3laDi
— Scott (@scootrdud) September 23, 2016
Others, however, supported his right to free speech and compared the reaction to other athletes who routinely disrespect the flag and the national anthem:
https://twitter.com/MaxBMisch/status/779725944302993408
https://twitter.com/millennialviews/status/779711944018321408
https://twitter.com/100PercFEDUP/status/779493758945652736
Good question.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for a good answer.
Apparently, it’s now considered racist to criticize thugs who loot and burn.
Welcome to Obama’s America.
What do you think? Was this the right move or is it another example of a rampant double-standard? Let us know in the comments below.
Related:
- Snowflakes at Univ. of Kansas crash conservative meeting to call them white supremacists
- Los Angeles Police Commission: If police confront an armed suspect, RUN
- Source: Dash cam video shows NC man shot by police had gun in hand
- Communist agitators in Charlotte call for bloodshed, revolution
- ‘Black Lives Matter’ activist: ‘Kill all white babies’ — Video
If you haven’t checked out and liked our Facebook page, please go here and do so.
And if you’re as concerned about Facebook censorship as we are, go here and order this new book:
