Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Josh Hader had a particularly bad All-Star Game on Tuesday night. In the game itself, he was rocked for four hits, including a three-run homer by the Seattle Mariners’ Jean Segura in 1/3 of an inning. After the game, however, is when things went from bad to worse.
A collection of racist and homophobic tweets that Hader made in 2012 when he was 17 years old resurfaced during the game and things went downhill quickly.
Uhhhhh, @jhader17 has some interesting tweets from 2012 👀 pic.twitter.com/d7pyTaMOdh
— Cub Fan Javy Man (@RizzoIsCaptain) July 18, 2018
Hey @brewers this yall’s man? pic.twitter.com/2NpOCWtUfj
— Cub Fan Javy Man (@RizzoIsCaptain) July 18, 2018
Josh Hader not only getting lit up in the ASG…. pic.twitter.com/7V3Bikcwps
— Vinnie (@fretz88) July 18, 2018
Before the game was even over, Hader’s account went private. Also, family members in attendance at the game were forced to remove jersey’s with his name on the back and replace them with generic versions.
After the game, Hader was contrite and remorseful, claiming that the things he said when he was 17 are indicative of who he is now.
Brewers reliever Josh Hader said his racist and homophobic tweets were a sign of immaturity when he was 17 and plans to apologize to his teammates, saying they don’t reflect on him as a person now. ‘No excuses. I was dumb and stupid.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 18, 2018
Josh Hader: “I was young, immature and stupid.”
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 18, 2018
Josh Hader apologized and said his awful tweets do not reflect his current views. “When you’re a kid, you tweet what’s on your mind,” he said.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) July 18, 2018
Of course, plenty of 17-year-olds never said these kinds of things, so not everyone bought the age excuse. Still, at least one teammate of his had spoken with Hader and was ready to move forward.
Lorenzo Cain, who said he spoke briefly to Josh Hader before talking with the media. pic.twitter.com/UJKi1QBII7
— Ryan Fagan (@ryanfagan) July 18, 2018
Major League Baseball and the Brewers also seem to want to move forward. Wednesday, MLB announced that Hader will not be suspended but he will be enrolled in diversity and inclusivity initiatives as well as sensitivity training.
MLB issued the following statement today regarding @Brewers pitcher Josh Hader: pic.twitter.com/cFyyCjlF7h
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) July 18, 2018
The Brewers also released a statement, noting how Haders’ comments were hurtful and inexcusable but also that they were in close contact with him to learn from it. While not explicit, it’s implied the team will not suspend him from any games.
#Brewers released the following statement regarding Josh Hader. pic.twitter.com/QWciq6WBxh
— The Brewer Nation (@BrewerNation) July 18, 2018
It remains to be seen what kind of reaction Hader gets the next time he takes the mound and what he might say or do to prove he’s learned from his “youthful transgressions.”H
