On Friday, Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners suspended catcher Steve Clevenger for hurtful, racists Twitter posts. The suspension was effective immediately and will be without pay for the remainder of the regular season.
Team officials did not comment, but many feel Clevenger will never again dress in a Mariners’ uniform.
What question remains unanswered is if he will play again for any Major League team.
This is not about a star player and domestic violence, or a player suspended for performance enhancing drug use, this is a backup catcher who is 30 years old that has been hanging by a thread as his baseball career was quickly fading.
Clevenger will not file any grievance over the suspension said one person close to the situation. If the catcher does not have an interest in appealing the suspension, then the MLB Players Association will not either.
Clevenger’s barrage consisted of eight tweets that he posted on his private account on Twitter. However, the two that were the most offensive, blatantly racist, were focused upon and disseminated across social media.
His tweets spoke negatively about blacks, about players kneeling during the National Anthem and about Black Lives Matter. He even called President Barack Obama pathetic.
The Mariners are most likely not going to offer Clevenger a new contract in November the same way many other players will not be offered one.
That way, the Mariners are not going to embarrass him further than he already is. It also prevents legal action by releasing him, as he will just disappear into players’ purgatory.
Clevenger did issue an apology. However, the Mariners did not want to listen to that. He did not apologize for his tweet, only how it was taken and he asked not to be labeled as a racist.
Clevenger’s fine is for $33,868 of the $516,500 he earned this season. However, when he is not offered a new contract in November is when Clevenger will feel the financial punch the most.
He may not have had the best statistics offensively, but backup catchers can sometimes last over 10 seasons in the league as they help bring along young pitchers and can act almost like a player-coach in the bullpen or dugout.
