Atlanta Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb deactivated his Twitter account after a series of homophobic and racist tweets surfaced last night as he pitched a near no-hitter in Sunday night's game against the Dodgers.
The tweets, written when Newcomb, now 25, was 18-years-old and a high school senior in Middleboro, Massachusetts, are littered with racial and anti-gay slurs.
https://twitter.com/kellyawallace/status/1023668595266605056
https://twitter.com/kellyawallace/status/1023672442894643203
https://twitter.com/travis_mke/status/1023669750365396992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1023669750365396992&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fmlb%2F2018%2F07%2F29%2Fsean-newcomb-braves-racist-homophobic-tweets
Sean Newcomb is cancelled pic.twitter.com/0KGrXXLm6Z
— squid (@NatsSquid) July 29, 2018
Newcomb spoke with reporters after the game: “This is something that obviously can't be happening. I feel bad about it. I don't mean to offend anybody. I definitely regret it.”
He added that he “meant nothing by it” and said, “I didn't mean to offend anybody and I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.”
Added Newcomb: “I definitely regret it, for sure. I just wanted to apologize for any insensitive material,” Newcomb said. “It was a long time ago, six or seven years ago, saying some stupid stuff with friends. I know I've grown a lot since then. I didn't mean anything by it. It was just something stupid I did a long time ago and I didn't mean anything by it, for sure.”
“This is something that obviously can't be happening. I feel bad about it. I don't mean to offend anybody. I definitely regret it.” – Sean Newcomb
— Kelsey Wingert-Linch (@KelsWingert) July 29, 2018
The Braves released a statement: “We are aware of the tweets that surfaced after today's game and have spoken to Sean who is incredibly remorseful. Regardless of how long ago he posted them, he is aware of the insensitivity and is taking full responsibility. We find the tweets hurtful and incredibly disappointing and even though he was 18 or 19 years old when posted, it doesn't make them any less tolerable. We will work together with Sean towards mending the wounds created in our community.”
It's unclear what discipline Newcomb will face. Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Josh Hader was ordered to undergo sensitivity training and participate in inclusion initiatives following a similar incident last week in which homophobic and racist tweets surfaced during a game.
