When Steve Clevenger was suspended following racist tweets aimed at BLM protesters

In 2016, Steve Clevenger came under fire for controversial tweets on his Twitter account. That same year, in Charlotte, North Carolina, a shooting occurred during a Black Lives Matter protest. Clevenger, who was a reserve catcher for the Seattle Mariners, expressed his thoughts on the matter in a now-deleted Twitter post:

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“Black People beating whites when a thug got shot holding a gun by a black officer haha sh*t cracks me up! Keep kneeling for the anthem! BLM is pathetic once again. Obama, you are pathetic once again! Everyone involved should be locked behind bars like animals!”

Jon Humbert

@jonhumbert

#Mariners say they are "looking into" controversial tweets coming pitcher Steve Clevenger's account screencapped by @cablebox666:

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#Mariners say they are "looking into" controversial tweets coming pitcher Steve Clevenger's account screencapped by @cablebox666: https://t.co/RcWNdqflGV

The Seattle Mariners suspended the pitcher for the rest of the season without pay because of the comments.

Steve Clevenger apologized for his Tweets

Following his suspension for his racist tweets, Steve Clevenger issued an apology a few days later to Fox News. In his statement, Clevenger said:

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“I am sickened by the idea that anyone would think of me in racist terms,” continued Clevenger’s statement. “My tweets were reactionary to the events I saw on the news and were worded beyond poorly at best and I can see how and why someone could read into my tweets far more deeply than how I actually feel.”

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