The Boston Red Sox terminate him.
Billy Bean, an outfielder who came out as homosexual after retiring from professional baseball in 1999, was sadly lost to us last week. And on Sunday, Bean’s efforts as the senior vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion for Major League Baseball served as a reminder of just how important it is to spread awareness of acceptance and inclusivity.
We were reminded on Sunday of the importance of Bean’s job as the senior vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion for Major League Baseball.
Bean would have been speaking with outfielder Jarren Duran and the Boston Red Sox right now if he had still been living. On Monday, the Sox suspended Duran for two games after he was heard shouting homophobic remarks insult directed towards a heckling fan on Sunday at Fenway Park following a 10-2 loss. Following a fan’s complaint about his batting from behind home plate, the Red Sox All-Star exclaimed, “Shut up you f———- f——-,” as he emerged from the batter’s box. Clear audio of the homophobic slur may be obtained from the standard field microphones situated behind home plate.
The Red Sox released a statement from Duran after the game. “I responded to a fan during tonight’s game with a very horrifying term. It said, in part, “I feel terrible realizing how many people I disappointed and offended.” The 27-year-old’s offensive remark was then criticized by the team in a follow-up statement:
Less than twenty-four hours later, Duran was suspended without pay for two games by the Red Sox and Major League Baseball. His earnings from those two games will be given to PFLAG, an organization that supports LGBTQ people.
I don’t think this punishment is appropriate for the offense, even though Duran did take the time to speak with the local media on Monday afternoon inside the Red Sox clubhouse. Considering Major League Baseball’s previous battles with homophobia and anti-LGBTQ sentiment, it feels more like a slap on the wrist.
Duran’s suspension is in line with other sanctions the league has imposed for homophobic remarks. When Kevin Pillar of the Blue Jays was suspended for two games in May 2017, he had hurled a homophobic slur at opposing pitcher Jason Motte after a failure to score. Three months later, Matt Joyce, an outfielder for the A’s at the time, received a two-game suspension for hurling a homophobic epithet at a spectator. Joyce contributed both of his game checks to PFLAG, just like Duran did. (On the other side, Thom Brennaman, the Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer for the Cincinnati Reds, was dismissed nearly four years to the day after using Duran’s similar slur on a hot mic during a game broadcast.)
