Oakland Athletics outfielder Matt Joyce was suspended for two games without pay for an anti-gay slur he hurled at a fan during a game against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.
. @Athletics OF Matt Joyce has received a 2-game suspension w/o pay, starting tonight.
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) August 5, 2017
Joyce apologized on Twitter on Saturday, writing:
“In regard to last night’s incident, I first and foremost want to sincerely apologize to the fans, the Oakland A’s, MLB and the most importantly the LGBTQ community for my comments and actions. A fan yelled vulgar and obscene words about me and my family and I let my frustrations and emotions get the better of me. I am beyond sorry for the inappropriate language that I used and understand and agree that those words should NEVER come out of someone’s mouth no matter the situation. Anyone who knows me will tell you that incident it is not reflective of me as a person, how I treat others, how I live my life and that those hurtful words are not my views. I fully support and hope to help the LGBTQ community with their efforts in being treated fairly and intend to let my actions speak louder than anything more that can be said about this truly regrettable moment.”
https://twitter.com/sweetswingin20/status/893918041523707904
https://twitter.com/sweetswingin20/status/893918055025090560
https://twitter.com/sweetswingin20/status/893918068535054336
https://twitter.com/sweetswingin20/status/893918077955432448
https://twitter.com/sweetswingin20/status/893918091536605184
https://twitter.com/sweetswingin20/status/893918100990513152
https://twitter.com/sweetswingin20/status/893918114542268416
The Oakland Athletics also issued a statement:
“The A’s are disappointed by the comments Matt Joyce made to a fan last night. This language is unacceptable & will not be tolerated. We pride ourselves on being inclusive and expect our entire organization to live up to higher standards. We appreciate that Matt is contrite about his conduct and know he will learn from this incident.”
