Josh Hader apologizes for racist tweets, claims they 'don't reflect any of my beliefs now' Josh Hader apologizes for racist twee...
Josh Hader apologizes for racist tweets, claims they 'don't reflect any of my beliefs now'CLOSE
The second half of the MLB season is here and USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale has the story lines all fans should know leading up to the playoffs.
WASHINGTON â€" Josh Hader was well-known in baseball circles before Tuesday night, his blazing fastball and devastating slider creating one of the most dominant relief weapons in baseball and sending him to his first All-Star Game.
With greater notoriety, however, comes greater scrutiny. After the Milwaukee Brewers left-hander served up a crucial home run, a Hader nobody knew emerged: A 17-year-old who did not hesitate to send out racist, homophobic, misogynistic and threateni ng tweets.
By the time he returned to the clubhouse after yielding a three-run homer to the Mariners̢۪ Jean Segura, Hader was informed that intrepid Internet users, their interest likely piqued by his goat turn in the All-Star Game, unearthed tweets that cast a star pitcher on the cusp of adulthood as a paragon of hate.
“White power lolâ€
“KKKâ€
“N-----bot? The (expletive)! That just made my night! Smhâ€
“I hate gay people.â€
The tweets were sent between 2011 and 2012, some coming less than two months before Hader’s 18th birthday â€" and less than four months before he was a 19th-round draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles.
After the American League defeated the National League 8-6 in 10 innings at Nationals Park, Hader was left to defend the indefensible, and explain the unexplainable: That a 17-year-old̢۪s thoughts on social media somehow do not represent the 24-year-old man he is now.
“There’s no excuse for what wa s said,†Hader said early Wednesday morning. “I’m deeply sorry for what I’ve said, and it doesn’t reflect any of my beliefs going on now. I was young, immature and stupid, and there’s no excuses for what was said or what happened.â€
Yet Hader proceeded to pose excuses, based on his age and the time that lapsed since. Twice in a four-minute news conference, he referenced “what happened seven years ago.â€
Twice he referenced the fact he was 17. “As a child, I was immature and obviously said some things that were inexcusable. That doesn’t reflect on who I am as a person today, and that’s just what it is.
“We’re still learning who we are in high school. You live and you learn. This mistake won’t happen again.â€
Hader also said: “I’m sure it’s some rap lyrics being tweeted. I really don’t know exactly what all’s out there.â€
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Following his remarks, Hader̢۪s damage control took a more personal turn, as he sought out Brewers teammate and fellow NL All-Star Lorenzo Cain, who is African-American, to explain his comments.
Cain did not specify whether Hader apologized, and hadn’t seen Hader’s tweets beyond knowing they were “hate comments.†He did not believe Hader to be a hateful person.
“When anybody does something like that, you’re always surprised,†said Cain, in his first season with the Brewers. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to give people a second chance, you understand you have to forgive people, move on from it.
“For me, it’s over and done with. He said it; it got out there. I’m moving on from it individually, anyway.â€
Hader still has a clubhouse of teammates to convince, and will likely face a strong rebuke from Major League Baseball. While it cannot impose discipline for matters that occ urred before he was drafted, MLB could suggest Hader undergo sensitivity training or urge him to meet with Billy Bean, its ambassador of inclusion.
MLB chief legal counsel Dan Halem said Tuesday night that the league may issue a statement later Wednesday.
“I’m ready for any consequences for what happened seven years ago,†Hader said.
Those consequences will begin immediately. Hader was slated to fly out of Washington with Brewers teammates Cain, Christian Yelich and Jesus Aguilar on Wednesday morning. As the door to the NL clubhouse swung open in the late innings of the game, Hader could be seen in the doorway consulting with officials.
Outside, a gaggle of family members wearing his jersey awaited in a tunnel. Hader grew up in Millersville, Md., just a 30-mile drive from Nationals Park.
The homecoming went from bad â€" Segura’s homer â€" to disastrous, once the tweets emerged.Hader made his Twitter account private soon after. Even after midnigh t, Hader was huddling with a Brewers PR official thumbing through his phone.
“That’s one reason why I don’t have social media, for things like this,†Cain noted. “You always get in trouble for things you said when you’re younger.â€
Said Yelich, who had not yet seen what Hader tweeted: “I don’t know what he did or what happened. The guy I know, he’s a great guy with a kind heart.â€
Hader likely has much more work ahead to convince others the same.
Highlights from the 2018 MLB All-Star Game FullscreenPosted!
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American League players celebrate the win. Fullscreen Alex Bregman and George Springer celebrate after Bregman's 10th-inning homer. Fullscreen Alex Bregman hits the go-ahead home run in the top of the 10th. Fullscreen George Springer celebrates after his home run in the top of the 10th. Fullscreen Jesus Aguilar reacts after he hit a fly ball to the warning track in the bottom of the ninth inning. Fullscreen Scooter Gannett reacts after hitting a home run to tie the game in the ninth inning. Fullscreen National League players celebrate after Scooter Gennett's home run in the ninth inning. Fullscreen Scooter Gannett hits a game-tying homer in the ninth inning. Fullscreen Christian Yelich celebrates his eighth-inning homer with Charlie Blackmon. Fullscreen Jean Segura celebrates in the dugout after his homer in the eighth inning. Fullscreen Jean Segura celebrates his home run in the eighth inning. Fullscreen Jean Segura flips his bat after hitting a three-run homer in the eighth inning. Fullscreen Jean Segura celebrates with teammates after his home run in the eighth inning. Fullscreen Jean Segura celebrates with American League third base coach Gary Pettis of the Houston Astros after hitting a three-run homer in the eighth inni ng. Fullscreen George Springer singles in the eighth inning. Fullscreen Josh Hader of the Brewers pitches in the eighth inning. Fullscreen Charlie Morton of the Houston Astros pitches during the seventh inning. Fullscreen Trevor Story of the Colorado Rockies rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the seventh inning. Fullscreen Eugenio Suarez throws to first in the sixth inning. Fullscreen Joey Votto tags out Yan Gomez in the seventh inning. Fullscreen Jose Berrios shares a la ugh with Salvador Perez. Fullscreen Jose Berrios pitches in the fifth inning. Fullscreen Mike Trout takes a selfie in the outfield with Mookie Betts and Aaron Judge. Fullscreen Bryce Harper strikes out in the fourth inning. Fullscreen Justin Verlander reacts near the dugout. Fullscreen Manny Machado takes a selfie on second base with Nick Markakis. Fullscreen A bunny mascot tackles Teddy during the presidents race. Fullscreen A view of the president race. Fullscreen A view of Nationals Park during the game. Fullscreen Jose Altuve fields a ground ball in the third inning. Fullscreen Blake Snell pitches in the third inning. Fullscreen Willson Contreras celebrates his home run in the third inning. Fullscreen Mike Trout hits a home run in the third inning. Fullscreen Jacob deGrom pitches in the third inning. Fullscreen Mookie Betts in the outfield. Fullscreen Luis Severino and American Leag ue teammates take a selfie. Fullscreen Aaron Judge celebrates his home run in the second inning with Manny Machado. Fullscreen Aaron Judge rounds the bases after his homer in the second inning. Fullscreen Aaron Judge rounds the bases after his home run in the second inning. Fullscreen Aaron Judge homers in the second inning. Fullscreen A young fan waves from the stands. Fullscreen Max Scherzer delivers a pitch in the first inning. Fullscreen Chris Sale pitches in the first inning. Fullscreen Mike Trout goes from first to third on a single in the first inning. Fullscreen Max Scherzer pitches in the first inning. Fullscreen Navy planes perform a flyover prior to the game. Fullscreen The American League team lines up before the game. Fullscreen The National League team lines up before the game. Fullscreen A choir performs national anthem. Fullscreen Mike Trout takes the field during player introductions. Fullscreen Aaron Judge and Luis Severino of the New York Yankees in the dugout before the game. Fullscreen An All-Star banner is shown on the field before the game. Fullscreen Manny Machado in the dugout before the game. FullscreenReplay- 1 of 53
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