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Bauer says he'll act 'more responsibly' online after harassment complaint

Jason Miller / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Trevor Bauer's no stranger to controversy on Twitter, but his most recent exchange - which involved him mentioning a Texas State University student in 80 separate tweets - apparently led the Cleveland Indians starter to reassess his use of the social media platform.

"I often defend myself against internet trolling, bullying, and slander," Bauer said Wednesday in a statement on Twitter. "My responses to fans are good-natured. I do not encourage any of my fans, followers, or friends to attack, insult, or harass anyone on any social media platform, or in real life.

"There is no room for that in the world," Bauer continued. "I have been made aware that some of the interactions related to a specific Twitter exchange may have had a negative impact. That was not my intention. I will wield the responsibility of my public platform more responsibly in the future."

Bauer's statement came one day after Nikki Giles, a senior at Texas State University, told USA TODAY Sports that she reported Bauer to the Indians for harassment.

The harassment complaint followed an exchange that began Saturday evening when Giles tweeted that Bauer was her "least favorite person in sports." On top of the 80 tweets from Bauer himself, fans of the pitcher - including some of his 135,000-plus followers - have continually berated Giles with responses, including via direct messages.

"He blamed me for 'continuously tweeting him,'" Giles told USA TODAY before adding that it made "zero sense because he had tagged me in over 40 tweets, which is over 10 (times) as many tweets (as) I mentioned him in."

Along with continuing to mention Giles in tweets, Bauer also posted screenshots of year-old tweets from the student and then accused her of being "obsessed" with him.

"He went almost a year back into my Twitter to find a tweet about me drinking two months before my 21st birthday and exposed it to his followers," Giles said.

Neither Major League Baseball nor the Indians have issued any statement regarding the exchange.

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