As Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb came close to throwing a no-hitter Sunday afternoon, some offensive social-media posts from his past resurfaced on Twitter.
The racist, sexist and anti-gay tweets that came to light Sunday were posted by Newcomb in 2011 and 2012, when he was 18 years old.
About a half-hour after talking to the media about his 8-2/3 hitless innings against the Dodgers, Newcomb reappeared in the clubhouse to address the very different subject.
“I just want to apologize for any insensitive material,” Newcomb said. “It was a long time ago – six, seven years ago – saying some stupid stuff with friends. I know I’ve grown a lot since then. I didn’t mean anything by it. It was just something stupid that I did a long time ago.”
The revelation was reminiscent of the disclosure during the All-Star game earlier this month of similarly offensive tweets by Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Josh Hader when he was in high school.
Newcomb said he saw that his tweets had resurfaced on social media when he looked at his phone shortly after Sunday’s game.
“I just felt it would be good to kind of address it right away,” he said.
Newcomb’s teammates had left the stadium by the time he discussed the issue with the media.
“I think people that know me know that’s not the kind of person I am,” Newcomb said.
The Braves released this statement: "We are aware of the tweets that surfaced after today's game and have spoken to Sean, who is incredibly remorseful. Regardless of how long ago he posted them, he is aware of the insensitivity and is taking full responsibility. We find the tweets hurtful and incredibly disappointing. ... We will work together with Sean toward mending the wounds created in our community."
Major League Baseball also issued a statement: "Such inappropriate comments have no place in our game. We are aware of this serious issue. (MLB vice president for social responsibility and inclusion) Billy Bean will meet with Mr. Newcomb this week, and we will identify an appropriate course of diversity training for him in the Atlanta community."
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