CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 31: Matt Joyce #23 of the Oakland Athletics reacts after striking out to end the top of the seventh inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on May 31, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Oakland Athletics outfielder Matt Joyce has been suspended two games after an Associated Press photographer heard him call a fan a homophobic slur during a game against the Los Angeles Angels Friday on night. Joyce apologized for the incident Saturday.

Joyce was returning to the dugout after Angels first baseman C.J. Cron robbed him of a hit, when he allegedly yelled obscenities at a fan who was taunting him. The Athletics announced Friday they were in contact with the commissioner’s office about investigating the incident, and on Saturday the league dropped the hammer.

Joyce’s salary over those two games will go to PFLAG, a LGBT advocacy organization, and he will reportedly work with the group as well.

News of the outfielder’s suspension arrived hours after he apologized contritely on Twitter.

Here’s the full text of the tweetstorm, if you’d rather read it all together:

“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.”

That apology pretty much says it all. It’s very likely that the fan said some vile things to Joyce, but that’s not an excuse for using a harmful slur. If it’s truly necessary to insult someone, there are much better ways to do it than by using a term that will offend many people who have nothing to do with the dispute.

The A’s released a statement Saturday saying they are “disappointed” in Joyce but that they “appreciate that Matt is contrite about his conduct.”

This whole incident is similar to the one in May involving Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar, who appeared to call an opposing pitcher a “faggot” during a game. Pillar apologized, and the Blue Jays suspended him for two games.

In a way, the fact that these situations register as scandals represents progress. You have to imagine baseball players have been throwing around gay slurs for decades, but only recently have teams decided such language is unacceptable. Not long ago, a player might slur a fan and go on with his day. Now he gets denounced by his own team and is forced to apologize publicly.

Now hopefully next time a Major League player is looking for the proper way to insult a pestering fan, he’ll reach for a different descriptor.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.

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