Boston Red Sox fans react to Matt Dermody's resurfaced homophobic tweet ahead of his season debut: "Cut him. Get him off the team"
Boston Red Sox pitcher Matt Dermody is making his season debut on Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians. The move does not come without some controversy, as the pitcher has come under fire.
In 2021, Dermody posted a homophobic tweet that has since been deleted. After the tweet, he said that he wasn't homophobic and apologized for his insensitive remark.
The Red Sox are aware of a homophobic tweet from Thurs. starter Matt Dermody and met with him to discuss it during spring training."He knows he made a mistake tweeting that... That doesn’t mean that we endorse anything he said or anything he believes." masslive.com/redsox/2023/06…
Boston signed Dermody this offseason and was unaware of the tweet. When the Red Sox learned about it in spring training, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom had a meeting with him.
Bloom decided to keep Dermody after that, saying that Dermody didn't understand his words would hurt others. Boston was seriously considering cutting the pitcher before he met with Bloom.
"Cut him. Get him off the team," one fan tweeted.
@Sean_McAdam Cut him. Get him off the team.
"No reason the Sox should be giving this guy a cup of coffee. Seem to be many tweets he should be 'sorry' for. Go Guards!" another fan tweeted.
@Sean_McAdam No reason the Sox should be giving this guy a cup of coffee. Seem to be many tweets he should be “sorry” for. Go Guards!
@Sean_McAdam Yet another reason not to follow this organization, as if there were plenty already.
@Sean_McAdam I’d rather watch the Sox lose 27-1 than see him throw a single pitch in a Red Sox uniform. Boy bye
Some Boston Red Sox fans don't want Matt Dermody on their roster. They would rather see their team get blown out than see Dermody throw a single pitch for Boston.
@Sean_McAdam @BrianTRobb Thats not a mistake. Thats a kid who 100% believes what he said.
@Sean_McAdam He apologized because he found out it would hurt his career. That post was not a mistake, it’s what he believes. @RedSox do better.
@sz_kumar @Sean_McAdam @SmittyOnMLB Ah yes he definitely didn’t realize “homosexuals are gonna burn in hell” could possibly be seen as hurtful. That definitely tracks lmao
@Sean_McAdam @BrianTRobb Player: Has a history of homophobia
Red Sox: Let's sign him and give him his first Major League start during Pride Month!
@ErikGeorgeE @Sean_McAdam His “owning up” was replying to the tweet by saying “I’m not homophobic.”
That’s like saying, “I’m not racist, but [insert racist comment]”
Some fans don't think he ever felt sorry. They believe Dermody was trying to save his career when he apologized and deleted the tweet.
All eyes will be on Matt Dermody as he starts for the Boston Red Sox
Matt Dermody will have many eyes on him as he gets the nod on Thursday for the Boston Red Sox. In nine appearances with Worchester, he compiled a 4.50 ERA with a 1.341 WHIP and 47 strikeouts. He's not a guy who will blow anybody away with his stuff, but he is durable.
His Thursday start won't be his MLB debut. He made that in 2016 when he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. He also had a stint with the Chicago Cubs in 2020 and 2022.
Aside from his time in the majors, he also played in Japan's Pacific League for the Saitama Seibu Lions in 2021. This is the year that he made the homophobic tweet that he backtracked on. Dermody also spent some time in the Korean Professional Baseball League with the NC Dinos in 2022.
He became a free agent after the 2022 season, which is when the Red Sox signed him to a minor league deal. Thursday will be his first big-league start since Aug. 4, 2022.