MLB says Josh Hader must go through sensitivity training; Brewers will 'work through issue' over tweets

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Brewers reliever Josh Hader throws during the eighth inning of the MLB All-Star Game Thursday night in Washington, D.C.

Both the Milwaukee Brewers and Major League Baseball responded Wednesday morning to revelations of inflammatory tweets years ago by reliever Josh Hader that came to light during the All-Star Game on Tuesday night.

MLB announced that Hader must go through sensitivity training and participate in diversity initiatives but did not fine or suspend him. The Brewers did not indicate whether Hader would be disciplined in any way but said the club will "continue to work through this issue" with him.

Here is the statement from Brewers general manager David Stearns:

"We have been in contact with Josh and he is fully aware of the severity of the situation related to his social media comments, regardless of the timeline of his posts. His comments are inexcusable, and he is taking full responsibility for the consequences of his actions. In no way do these sentiments reflect the views of the Brewers organization or our community.

"Those of us that have come to know Josh do not believe that these posts are representative of his beliefs. He has been a good teammate and contributor to the team in every way.

"We will continue to work through this issue with Josh as we prepare to resume games after the break."

MLB released this statement, including the requirement of sensitivity training:

“During last night’s game we became aware of Mr. Hader’s unacceptable social media comments in years past and have since been in communication with the Brewers regarding our shared concerns. After the game, Mr. Hader took the necessary step of expressing remorse for his highly offensive and hurtful language, which fails to represent the values of our game and our expectations for all those who are a part of it.

The Office of the Commissioner will require sensitivity training for Mr. Hader and participation in MLB’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.”

The offensive tweets by Hader, posted as a teenager in 2011 and 2012, before he became a professional baseball player, came to light as he performed in the All-Star Game in Washington, D.C. Hader was elected as a first-time all-star and one of five representatives from the Brewers.

It was unclear who brought attention to those tweets but it created a social media firestorm that Hader was informed of after coming off the field, where he allowed a three-run home run to Seattle’s Jean Segura that snapped a 2-2 tie in the eighth inning.

The tweets, many of which appeared to be from musical lyrics, included homophobic, sexist and racial slurs, including the N-word.

In a clubhouse interview after the game, Hader said, “I was young, immature and stupid. There’s no excuses for what was said."

Asked for the context of those tweets, Hader said, “It was something that happened when I was 17 years old, and as a child I was immature and obviously did some things that were inexcusable. That doesn’t reflect on who I am as a person today.”

Hader posted the tweets while in high school in Millersville, Md., about 30 minutes from Nationals Park, where he pitched in the All-Star game. He was drafted in June 2012 by the Baltimore Orioles, later traded to Houston and then to the Brewers in July 2015 as one of four prospects garnered in exchange for Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers.

“I was in high school,” Hader said. “We’re still learning who we are in high school. You live and you learn. This mistake won’t happen again.

“There’s no excuse for what was said, and I’m deeply sorry for what I said and what’s going on. Like I said, that doesn’t reflect my beliefs going on now.”

Brewers teammate and fellow all-star Lorenzo Cain, an African American, talked with Hader after the game about what had happened and then spoke to reporters about it.

“He’s young; we all say some crazy stuff when we’re young,” Cain said. “That’s the reason I don’t have social media, things like this. You always get in trouble for things you say when you’re younger.

“We’ll move on from it. The situation is what it is. I know Hader; he’s a great guy. I know he’s a great teammate. I’m fine. Everybody will be OK. We’ll move on from it.

“At the end of the day, we’ve all said crazy stuff growing up, even when we're 17, 18 years old. If we could follow each other around with a recorder all day, I’m sure we’ve all said some dumb stuff.”

Asked whether Hader apologized to him, Cain said, “I didn’t ask for an apology. I heard about the hate comments. That’s all I heard. We’ll talk more about it once we get on the plane.”

Another African American teammate, all-star reliever Jeremy Jeffress, told Yahoo Sports: "He made a mistake when he was younger. Sometimes you’ve got to live with your past. That’s not him. He’ll apologize. He’ll make it right. I wish and I hope people don’t take it out of context.

"It was a young, stupid mistake. I’ve made plenty of those. He’s a great guy. He’s humble. He doesn’t try to make it seem like he’s someone he’s not. It’s just a mistake he made.”

Another Brewers all-star, Jesus Aguilar, tweeted his support for Hader Wednesday, saying he "obviously" is not a racist. "He made a mistake 7 years ago. He admitted, he apologized and most important: He learned from it."

It remains to be seen how much of a distraction this will be for the Brewers when they open second-half play Friday night against the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers at Miller Park. Hader no doubt will address all of his teammates before that game and is expected to take questions from the media as well.

Manager Craig Counsell withheld comment Wednesday until he can speak with his players as they reconvene for the second half. In past years, the team has held a voluntary workout on the day before the first game of the second half.

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