"I didn't say anything bad about Freeman" - Atlanta Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. alleges the reporters exaggerated his comments, considers the beef is in the past
The Atlanta Braves young superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. learned a valuable lesson today. After the media swarmed around a story detailing Acuña's reported hostility towards Braves legend and 2020 National League Most Valuable Player Freddie Freeman, Acuña backtracked slightly on his statement. In an interview conducted in his native Spanish language, Acuña further clarified his feelings and sentiments on his former teammate Freeman.
Ronald Acuña Jr. spoke in the Braves clubhouse re: his Instagram live comments. He said his comments were exaggerated and blown out of proportion. Here are some highlights, w/his answers translated directly from Spanish https://t.co/xIhUbAppv0
Ronald Acuña Jr. tried to clarify his reported "beef" with former Atlanta Braves teammate, Freddie Freeman
After Acuña's comments, in which he said he would miss "nothing" about Freeman as he departed for the Dodgers as part of a six-year contract, went viral, Acuña walked back his statement, saying that the issues he had with Freeman were specifically in regards to Acuña's rookie year in 2018. When asked if he would like to retract his comments regarding whether he would miss Freddie Freeman, however, the Braves outfielder chose to double down and reiterate that he would not be losing any sleep over Freeman's absence from the Braves lineup.
He signed with another team...what would I miss about someone who's on another team?- Ronald Acuna Jr
The feud referenced by Acuña was over how Acuña felt targeted by Freddie Freeman, who chastised the rookie for his fashion choices, his celebration, and his excessive use of eye black. Freeman, who was taken under the wing of players such as notorious "fun police" catcher Bryan McCann, admitted to his criticism of the young Braves outfielder. However, he felt that he didn't use any animosity in his criticism and cited it as a cultural component of the organization, insisting he was trying to get Acuña to conform the "Braves way" of playing the game.
Freddie Freeman says the Braves were trying to teach Ronald Acuña Jr. “organizational rules” by removing his eye black and adjusting his hat and sunglasses
“I didn’t view it as any friction or clashes… I still love Ronald.” https://t.co/l6xpyslIlB
While Freeman, in an interview with MLB network, said he had nothing but love and adoration for his Braves teammate, the feeling was clearly not mutual from Acuña.
Acuña blames the media for letting the news engulf a Braves team set to defend its World Series title this season. He blamed the media for blowing his comments out of proportion and said that, while he was upset that the media made a big deal out of it, he had absolutely no regrets about what he said. In an era of antiseptic comments void of personality, it's certainly refreshing to get an unfiltered, honest response.