J.D. Martinez addresses his Instagram post about Hitler and guns
Boston Red Sox slugger and American League MVP candidate J.D. Martinez addressed a controversial Instagram post he made in 2013 on Tuesday.
The post in question referenced a quote accompanied by a photo of Adolf Hitler and appeared to be used to illustrate Martinez's pro-gun stance.
"I didn't mean any harm by the pic," Martinez explained to The Boston Globe's Alex Speier. "It was more of a picture showing what my stand was on the Second Amendment. At the time I posted that, the Second Amendment at the time was definitely a hot topic. The point of it wasn't to offend anybody."
Martinez's post re-surfaced Monday and is the latest social media message to draw criticism after a number of MLB players, including Josh Hader, Sean Newcomb, and Trea Turner, all came under fire for insensitive tweets.
The 31-year-old Martinez was 25 years old and still playing with the Houston Astros when he made the post. He further explained Tuesday he wasn't endorsing the beliefs of a dictator.
"As most of you guys know, I'm Cuban-American. Most of my family was run out of Cuba because of a brutal dictator. It's terrible. It's one of those things where I'll never get to meet some of my family members because of it. It's one of those things where I was really touched at the time," Martinez described. "I saw it and I posted it. I had no intent to offend anyone, but it was mostly just to state a point - a political point at the time that I believe in. I posted it and that's one thing that, I love my country. I love this country. I stand by the Constitution and the Second Amendment. It's something that I take pride in and it's something that I'll back up."
Martinez, a Triple Crown candidate, later commented that all of this has been an unnecessary distraction and that he wanted to turn his attention back to trying to win a championship with the Red Sox.
"I'm here to play baseball guys. I'm not a politician. I'm not here to talk about politics. I'm here to help us win," Martinez added. "This was something that happened six years ago. In this day and age, it's something where you really have to be really careful what you talk about. That's why I don't talk about politics. I don't want this distraction. You guys are talking about something that happened (nearly) six years ago. I posted it and that's why I'm out here talking about it, but I'm worried about a championship. I'm worried about winning a championship."