The Toronto Blue Jays acted quickly, suspending Yunel Escobar after the shortstop walked onto the field Saturday with the words “tu ere maricon†written in his eye black. “Tu ere mariconâ€means “you are a faggot†in Spanish. Escobar will bew suspended for three days, his salary for those games will be donated to GLAAD and the You Can Play Project, and Escobar will be working with both organizations.
“GLAAD has been in conversations throughout the day with the team and with Major League Baseball (MLB) about the incident,” Aaron McQuade, Director of News and Field Media at GLAAD reported:
“Today’s actions show that MLB and the Toronto Blue Jays are committed to creating an environment that all fans and families can enjoy, not a place where discriminatory language and anti-gay attitudes are accepted,” said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick.
The Blue Jays released a statement last night, saying the team “(does) not support discrimination of any kind nor condone the message displayed by Yunel Escobar during Saturday’s game.” In announcing Escobar’s suspension and intent to work with GLAAD and You Can Play, the team today stated “The Blue Jays want to reaffirm that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated. The club looks forward to supporting the efforts of You Can Play and GLAAD to help promote education for players and fans alike and to help keep language like this out of the game and society.”
Last year, through our relationship with MLB, GLAAD sent a list of recommendations and suggestions to each of the teams who participated in the It Gets Better project. In 2010 we also worked with the New York Yankees on a zero-tolerance policy for anti-gay discrimination in the stands.
The Courage Campaign, coincidentally, is honoring You Can Play Project’s Brian Burke on Thursday at their 2nd Annual Spirit of Courage Awards.
Image via GLAAD