Mariners' Clevenger calls Obama, Black Lives Matter 'pathetic'
With protesters taking to the streets in Charlotte, N.C., following the death of another black man at the hands of police, Seattle Mariners catcher Steve Clevenger decided to weigh in, calling both Black Lives Matter and President Barack Obama "pathetic" Thursday in a pair of controversial tweets.
In a statement released Thursday night, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto expressed his disappointment with Clevenger's tweets while attempting to distance the club from the catcher's remarks.
"While he is certainly free to express himself, his tweets do not in any way represent the opinion of the Seattle Mariners," he said." We strongly disagree with the language and tone of his comments. ...
"We are currently examining all internal options that are available to us as we determine appropriate next steps."
Clevenger, now with his third organization since 2013, appeared in 22 games with the Mariners this season, hitting .221/.303/.309 with one home run before breaking his hand June 29. Over parts of six seasons in the majors, Clevenger owns a .608 OPS in 170 games between the Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs.