Clevenger apologizes for 'ill-worded' tweets about Obama, BLM

Hours after Steve Clevenger posted controversial tweets on Thursday calling the Black Lives Matter movement and President Barack Obama "pathetic," the Seattle Mariners catcher issued an apology, which said he was "sickened by the idea that anyone would think of me in racist terms."

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports made the following statement from Clevenger - who spoke out after the death of a black man at the hands of police and the subsequent protests in Charlotte, N.C. - available on Facebook.

First and foremost I would like to apologize to the Seattle Mariners, my teammates, my family and the fans of our great game for the distraction my tweets on my personal Twitter page caused when they went public earlier today. I am sickened by the idea that anyone would think of me in racist terms. My tweets were reactionary to the events I saw on the news and were worded beyond poorly at best and I can see how and why someone could read into my tweets far more deeply than how I actually feel.
I grew up on the streets of Baltimore, a city I love to this very day. I grew up in a very culturally diverse area of America and I am very proud to come from there. I am also proud that my inner circle of friends has never been defined by race but by the content of their character. Any former teammate or anyone who has met me can attest to this and I pride myself on not being a judgemental person. I just ask that the public not judge me because of an ill worded tweet.
I do believe that supporting our First Amendment rights and supporting local law enforcement are not mutually exclusive. With everything going on in the world I really just want what is best for everyone regardless of who they are. I, like many Americans, are frustrated by a lot of things in the world and I would like to be a part of the dialogue moving forward to make this a better world for everyone.
I once again apologize to anyone who was offended today and I just ask you not judge me off of a social media posting. Thank you and God bless everyone.

Although Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto addressed Clevenger's tweets in his own statement Thursday, the club has not said if it will punish the catcher for his actions.

The 30-year-old Clevenger hasn't played since the end of June because of a fractured hand, and was hitting a paltry .221/.303/.309 with one home run and seven RBIs across 22 games for the Mariners before his injury.