The Boston Red Sox suspended outfielder Jarren Duran for two games earlier this week for calling a fan an ‘anti-gay slur’ during the team’s loss Sunday to the Houston Astros.
“In consultation with Major League Baseball, the Red Sox today issued an unpaid two-game suspension to outfielder Jarren Duran beginning with tonight’s game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park,” the Red Sox announced.
“Additionally, Duran’s salary from the two-game suspension will be donated to PFLAG (Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), the United States’ largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people and those who love them,” the statement added.
The #RedSox today issued a two-game suspension to Jarren Duran. pic.twitter.com/YlinXxOAWy
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 12, 2024
Here’s video of the incident [EXPLICIT LANGUAGE]:
https://t.co/Bp69ih8UbS pic.twitter.com/eVwnQag2Yf
— Switch (@IISwitchII) August 12, 2024
Per ESPN:
In the sixth inning of Boston’s game Sunday at Fenway Park, Duran turned around in the middle of an at-bat and said to a heckler: “Shut up, you f—ing f—-t.”
ADVERTISEMENTDuran, 27, apologized in a statement Sunday night for using “a truly horrific word when responding to a fan.”
Before answering reporters’ questions in the middle of the clubhouse Monday, Duran started by further apologizing to fans whom he said reached out to him and said “they were disappointed in me.”
“I’m sorry for my actions and I’m going to work on being better,” the 27-year-old outfielder said, as quoted by The Associated Press.
Breaking: The Red Sox and MLB have suspended Jarren Duran for two games after he uttered an anti-gay slur at a fan during Sunday’s game.
The team announced that Duran’s salary from the suspension will be donated to PFLAG (Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). pic.twitter.com/MkIbFF3rSu
— ESPN (@espn) August 12, 2024
UPDATE:
The outfielder now has the highest-selling jersey on the MLB’s website.
Red Sox’s Jarren Duran has top-rated jersey on MLB shop after anti-gay slur https://t.co/gUfVwLEG58
— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 14, 2024
Per Fox News:
Duran apologized, but he still served a two-game suspension – his game checks for Monday and Tuesday will be donated to PFLAG, a nonprofit that supports the LGBTQ+ community.
ADVERTISEMENTThe 27-year-old has burst onto the scene this year, earning his first All-Star nod, so Duran jerseys have been rather popular around Fenway Park.
However, expect to see many more of them just about everywhere – Duran’s jersey, at the time of publishing, is the top-selling jersey on the online MLB shop.
“Duran is also the first ‘top seller’ to appear on the Red Sox’ team shop, while his Instagram page has been flooded with supportive comments,” Daily Mail noted.
After getting suspended for 2 games for aiming homophobic slur at Fenway fan, Jarren Duran chose to wear this shirt in his pregame presser today. pic.twitter.com/36VPYGYaMj
— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) August 12, 2024
Daily Mail reports:
The 27-year-old was also spotted wearing a t-shirt that read ‘F*** em’ at pregame media availability the day after incident.
He did offer an apology for his actions, saying in a statement, ‘During tonight’s game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan. I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed.
‘I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community. Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility.
ADVERTISEMENT‘I will use this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and grow as a person.’
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!