Major League Baseball suspended Josh Donaldson for one game after determining the Yankees third baseman had made “disrespectful” comments to Tim Anderson, a shortstop for the Chicago White Sox.
On Saturday, Donaldson, who is white, was confronted by various members of the White Sox after he repeatedly referred to Anderson, who is Black, as “Jackie.” He said the comments were meant to be an inside joke between the players and were referencing a magazine article in which Anderson said he feels like “today’s Jackie Robinson.”
The White Sox players and coaching staff rejected that explanation. Manager Tony La Russa said Donaldson had made a “racist” comment, Anderson said he agreed with the characterization and multiple players characterized Donaldson’s relationship with their team as adversarial.
Before Sunday’s doubleheader, which the White Sox swept, Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said he did not think Donaldson should have made the comment.
“I don’t believe there was any malicious intent in that regard,” Boone told reporters. “But you know, this is, just in my opinion, somewhere he should not be going.”
In Monday’s statement about the suspension, which includes an undisclosed fine, Michael Hill, M.L.B.’s senior vice president for on-field operations, said the league had completed an investigation and found that the facts of the case were not in question.
“MLB has completed the process of speaking to the individuals involved in this incident,” the statement said. “There is no dispute over what was said on the field. Regardless of Mr. Donaldson’s intent, the comment he directed toward Mr. Anderson was disrespectful and in poor judgment, particularly when viewed in the context of their prior interactions.
“In addition, Mr. Donaldson’s remark was a contributing factor in a bench-clearing incident between the teams, and warrants discipline.”
That discipline, however, will have to wait. Donaldson appealed the decision, which would have allowed him to play while the appeal is pending, but just before the suspension was announced he was placed on the Covid-19 injured list.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
Denial of responsibility! NewsBit.us is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.
