This blog originally appeared at THEM.
The salary Duran forfeits due to his suspension will be donated to PFLAG.
Boston Red Sox player Jarren Duran was suspended for two games without pay on Monday after directing a homophobic slur at a fan. The incident occurred during Sunday’s game against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park when the 27-year-old outfielder was at bat and was being heckled by a fan.
“Tennis racket!” the fan shouted, according to the Associated Press. “You need a tennis racket!”
In response, Duran turned around and yelled, “Shut up, you fucking faggot!”
After the game, the Red Sox released a statement in which Duran apologized for his actions.
“During tonight’s game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan,” Duran said, apologizing to “the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community.”
“Our young fans should be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility,” he continued. “I will use this opportunity to educate myself, my teammates, and to grow as a person.”
In an August 12 statement, the Red Sox announced that, in consultation with Major League Baseball (MLB), Duran has been issued a two-game unpaid suspension starting with Monday night’s game against the Texas Rangers. His salary from the suspension — amounting to $8,172, according to ESPN — will be donated to the LGBTQ+ organization PFLAG, previously known as Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
This isn’t the first time an MLB player has been suspended for using an anti-gay slur. In 2017, the league banned Toronto Blue Jays star Kevin Pillar for two games after he directed a homophobic slur at Atlanta player Jason Motte. That same year, Oakland Athletics outfielder Matt Joyce was also suspended for two games after using a slur toward a fan. Back in 2012, Blue Jays player Yunel Escobar received a three-game suspension for wearing eye-black strips with a Spanish anti-gay slur written on them.
fleeredstates.blog 
Leave a comment