Blue Jays 'extremely disappointed' by Pillar's use of anti-gay slur

The Toronto Blue Jays issued a statement Thursday expressing their disappointment as an organization with outfielder Kevin Pillar after he directed a homophobic slur at Atlanta Braves reliever Jason Motte during Wednesday's game.

"The Toronto Blue Jays are extremely disappointed by the comments made by Kevin Pillar following his at-bat during the seventh inning of last night's game," the statement read. "In no way is this kind of behavior accepted or tolerated, nor is it a reflection of the type of inclusive organization we strive to be. We would like to extend our own apologies to all fans, Major League Baseball, and especially the LGBTQ community.

"We know Kevin to be a respectful, high-character individual who we hope will learn from this situation and continue to positively contribute and live up to our values on and off the field."

Pillar used the slur after he became upset over what he thought was a quick pitch from Motte.

Shortly before the Blue Jays' statement was released, Pillar issued his own apology via his Twitter account, stating he is "utterly embarrassed" at having used the slur and that he plans to "use this as opportunity to better myself."

Pillar and Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins - who traveled to Atlanta earlier in the day - will speak on the matter later Thursday, according to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.