Blue Jays' Bass apologizes for endorsing anti-LGBTQ boycotts

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Anthony Bass apologized for sharing an anti-LGBTQ video on his Instagram that promoted boycotting companies that support gay and trans rights in the name of the Christian faith.

"I recognize yesterday I made a post that was hurtful to the Pride community, which includes friends of mine and close family members of mine, and I am truly sorry for that," Bass said Tuesday, according to Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. "I just spoke with my teammates and shared with them my actions yesterday. I apologized with them, and as of right now, I am using the Blue Jays' resources to better educate myself to make better decisions moving forward.

"The ballpark is for everybody. We include all fans at the ballpark. We want to welcome everybody. That's all I have to say."

Bass didn't take any questions from the media after his statement.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Bass apologized to him and general manager Ross Atkins when he came to the ballpark, according to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun. Schneider added that he suggested the 35-year-old reliever should apologize to the whole team.

"We're not going to pretend like this never happened," Schneider said, according to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. "We're not going to pretend like it's the end and move on. There are definitely more steps that are going to follow."

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